


Understanding the Real Hero: Iron Man 2

by the_writer1988



Series: Understanding The Real Hero [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Civil War Team Iron Man, Don't copy to another site, Everyone Learns Lessons Including Tony, F/M, Hurt Tony Stark, Not Steve Friendly, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pro-Sokovia Accords, Sam-friendly, Things will get better for Team Cap as the story goes along, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Wanda-friendly, avengers watch the movies, not team Cap friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:47:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 61,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26561629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_writer1988/pseuds/the_writer1988
Summary: Team Cap and Team Iron Man have finished watching the first Iron Man.But their journey through Tony Stark's life has only just begun. They still have 8 more movies to watch.Iron Man 2 has begun...
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Series: Understanding The Real Hero [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1796896
Comments: 861
Kudos: 1174
Collections: Character's find out their futures, Tony Stark Defense Squad I





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> Welcome back to the next story in my 'Understanding the Real Hero' series. I said I would start posting today and I am delivering on that promise! 
> 
> Unfortunately, due to real-life events, I did not manage to get most of this story finished before posting which had been my aim in taking a month break. Unfortunately, my 4-year-old cat had to be put to sleep, and it really broke me. During this year, because I was having to shield because of Covid-19, she was a great help to my mental health. Unexpectedly she got ill at the start of this month and by the time we knew anything was wrong it was too late to save her :( I'm still struggling with it now and my writing output has slowed. 
> 
> I am currently writing the 2nd chapter to this story. I should be able to keep a weekly update. However, when we reach the end of this story, I may have to take another break again to be able to give myself time to write a bit more. I have also returned to work last Thursday and it may drain me for a few weeks as I try to get back into the routine. 
> 
> These were all events I did not anticipate. Nevertheless, I wanted to post today and at least I have the first chapter ready to go! This story begins straight after the end of the first one with Tony and Wanda returning to the viewing room.
> 
> Please do, enjoy!

**Understanding the Real Hero: Iron Man 2**

**One**

They arrived back in the viewing room to find the others conversing in groups. Everyone stopped talking when Tony and Wanda entered. Tony stuffed his hands in his pockets and crossed the room and resumed his seat on the end of the left-sided sofa. He leaned back, waiting for the others to join him.

Rhodey sat beside him and to everyone’s surprise, Wanda decided to sit next to Rhodey.

“Wanda? Are you okay?” Steve asked hesitantly.

She nodded, her long tresses falling about her face. “I am. Why do you ask?”

Clint frowned. “It’s really convinced you, hasn’t it? That movie. ‘Cos you’ve never sat close to Stark before.”

Wanda sighed. “I hated him because I believed he killed my parents. I was wrong to do so. And,” she swallowed the lump in her throat, “we need to be a team if we are going to face whatever is coming.”

A dubious expression crossed the archer’s face. “You believe Stark? Two hours ago, you hated him. Now suddenly you believe there is something coming that makes him create murderous A.I’s to defend us?”

Wanda pursed her lips. “I misjudged him without knowing the full facts. He’s still made mistakes – we all have. We can forgive each other but not Stark?” She shook her head. She lowered her gaze. “We need to start healing the cracks between us if we can.”

“Wanda’s right,” agreed Steve. “We have this opportunity, let’s make the most of it.” He patted Clint on the shoulder. Steve lowered his voice so only the Archer could hear him. “I’m sure we will get to the bottom of Tony’s belief there is something coming. We’ll learn the truth about Ultron too. And, Tony will learn why the Accords are not for us, but why they are suited for him.”

Clint chewed his lower lip but nodded reluctantly. He sat at the other end of the right-hand sofa, with Bucky next to him. Steve perched in the middle, with Sam sitting beside him. Natasha slipped in close to Sam with Thor and Bruce ending the row on the other sofa. Vision sat beside Wanda.

“Disc is already in,” said Sam.

“What is this one called?” enquired Bucky, reaching for the case and turning it over. “Hmm, Iron Man 2. Ok… doesn’t really tell us much what to expect.”

Natasha glanced at the cover. All it showed was a picture of Tony and Rhodey in their armour with their face-plates down. She could guess what this movie might show, and she was certain Tony knew what events in his life would be covered. Not that he was saying anything about it.

Sam held up the remote. “Everyone ready?”

“As much as I am going to be,” muttered Tony. Despite the generally positive reaction, he’d received for his transformation into Iron Man, he was sure this next movie was going to cover the events of the Expo, and he knew those few weeks hadn’t been his greatest. He was proven right a few minutes later as the movie started. “Here we go…”

**The city, Moscow, covered in snow appeared onscreen. The voices of Tony Stark and Christine Everhart could be heard, the words he had spoken at the press conference at the end of the previous movie.**

“Starting right where we left off,” mused Bruce. “Are all these movies going to follow on from one another closely?”

Tony doubted it but it was the voice which answered.

_N_ o. _All of the events over all of these movies cover a long period of time. This movie only begins here because it is important to the narrative._

**Inside a darkened apartment within a dilapidated building, Tony Stark’s face appeared on tv, announcing to the world that he was Iron Man.**

**The camera panned back to an older man lying on his back in bed. As Tony declared himself Iron Man, the man called through the front door of the apartment, for Ivan. Ivan leaned against the front door, bottle in his left hand. He turned as the older man coughed. Ivan was middle-aged, hair past his chin, and a beard and moustache decorated his face.**

Clint winced. “He does not look like he’s had a fun life… Looks rough.”

“You don’t recognise him?” asked Natasha, surprise flickering across her face. She’d told Clint all about the time she had been undercover at Stark Industries and the resulting mess with Vanko. She was surprised Clint didn’t recognise the man onscreen, especially since he had seen photos of Vanko in the SHIELD files.

Clint scratched the back of his head. “He looks vaguely familiar… Maybe you showed me his photo once?”

“I did,” she noted.

**Ivan approached the bed. The man – his father, Anton Vanko – struggled to breathe, spoke in Russian, and told his son that it should have been Ivan on the tv in Tony’s place.**

“Really, why?” asked Steve.

“You’ll see,” advised Tony.

**Ivan told his father to not listen to the tv. Anton apologised, and that all he could give him was his knowledge.**

“He’s dying,” realised Wanda.

**A slight cough and Anton died. Visibly distraught, Ivan Vanko took a swig of vodka, tears shimmering in his eyes as he yelled out his grief.**

Tony sighed. “Never take your grief out with alcohol. It just makes you bitter.” He’d spent quite a few years after his parent’s deaths drinking himself into oblivion. 

“Talking from experience, aren’t you, Stark?” Clint noted, a slight edge to his voice.

Tony bristled. Clint was still not one hundred percent happy with him. “How would you take it if you lost your family in tragic circumstances? Would you get on with your life?” asked Tony. “What would Clint Barton do?”

The Archer glared back at the Inventor. “I would make sure who did it suffered for it, either by killing them myself or ensuring they never set foot outside prison walls ever again. I would never forget them but I’d move on with my life.”

“That’s if they were murdered.” Tony narrowed his eyes. That was too close to home, and he couldn’t help noticing Steve’s flinch. The Captain was clearly remembering Tony’s reaction after he’d witnessed his own parent’s murder and what he had attempted to do with Bucky. “What if your wife was driving and crashed the car? What would you do then?”

Clint paused, and frowned. “I’d…”

Tony had caught him. “Well?”

“I’d probably…” Clint’s voice got lower and lower with each word. “Drink. Drink until the pain went away.” He bowed his head, almost feeling regret over what he had said to Tony.

No apology was forthcoming but Tony took gratification from it. He could tell from Steve’s reaction that he was clearly worried about how others would react when they found out about Bucky killing Tony’s parents.

Tony couldn’t help but feel the Captain deserved it.

**The scene changed to Vanko pulling out old blueprints for an Arc Reactor from Stark Industries. Written along the bottom were the names of the Project Designers: Anton Vanko and Howard Stark.**

“Howard worked with the Russians?” Steve whispered, surprised.

“Vanko was a respected scientist,” explained Natasha. “At the time.”

“What happened?” queried Steve. 

“You’ll find out,” Natasha intoned.

**As Vanko began to cut through metal with sparks flying everywhere, the camera panned over a wall of news articles about Tony Stark throughout his life, following him from his MIT years until his latest announcement of ‘I am Iron Man’.**

Rhodey frowned. “He really was obsessed with you.”

“He was…” Tony grimaced. “It was my father they hated… but it seemed to transition to me when I made progress with the Arc Reactor, probably even before then.” He could understand to some extent. Anton Vanko had been involved with the original Arc Reactor. Tony had benefited from his work whereas Vanko’s own son had not. After being ejected from the United States, Vanko’s lives had become one of squalor, unable to maintain a good quality of life, unlike Tony who had grown up in luxury and had been able to benefit from it.

**Ivan took the heated piece to the table and started to hammer it, the noise continuing as the camera panned over the blueprints.**

**Sitting at a desk, and surrounded by dozens of ancient computers all running coding at once, Vanko fiddled with wiring as a white bird hopped within the workspace. More shots of the Arc Reactor on magazine covers appeared, followed by Vanko feeding his bird from a glass.**

**Very slowly, it became obvious that Vanko was creating a miniature Arc Reactor. He flicked a switch and the lights went out as the Reactor lit up. Vanko’s smile of triumph gleamed in its light. He laughed in glee as he lifted the completed Arc Reactor up to the light.**

Sam winced. “Taking a guess creating an Arc Reactor is going to be a bad thing for you?” he asked Tony.

“It’s not spoiling anything if I say yes,” shrugged Tony.

Rhodey smirked. “Wait till you see when he’s in front of Senator Stern.”

“One of HYDRA’s?” Steve perked up.

“Not that we knew it at the time, Steve,” reassured Natasha. “They were behind a lot of things.” She glanced at Tony. “HYDRA wanted the Iron Man suits. They were trying to acquire them in a legal way.”

“HYDRA doesn’t do anything legally,” snarled Steve.

Bucky frowned. “Actually, Steve, they do. HYDRA spent years infiltrating world governments. For them to gain power they had to do things legally to get there.”

“How can you defend them?” Steve was gobsmacked.

“I’m not. I’m stating the truth,” said Bucky. “I was with HYDRA for years. I think I know how they work more than you do. You may not like it, but HYDRA took its time. Even when things didn’t benefit them in the short-term but did so in the long-term, they still went for it, especially in politics. They were shrewd, and they wanted Stark’s suits, but knew there was no way for them to get a hold of them.” The former Winter Soldier appraised Tony. “They had plans of their own to acquire them.”

Tony wasn’t sure how he felt. “I’m guessing they had multiple plans for me?”

Bucky nodded. “Politically… assassination… capture… All sorts of things. You were a big target of theirs. One of the biggest threats against them.”

“I suppose we all were big threats to them,” inclined Clint, leaning back. 

“Out of all of us here they were mainly worried about Stark, Thor, and Hulk.” Bucky grimaced. “I do not recall them ever mentioning you… A guy with a bow and arrow isn’t much of a threat to HYDRA.”

Tony smirked, enjoying the relative lack of importance Clint was to their enemies. He wasn’t even considered a significant threat.

Clint glared at the former Winter Soldier. “Surely Cap was on their radar too?”

Bucky shrugged. “They had me. Plus, Steve was already working for them as part of SHIELD. They pretty much controlled where he went on missions. All of you were employed by them under the guise of SHIELD. Stark was the loose cannon. All of you were doing their bidding for years without realising it.”

Natasha nodded slowly. “It’s true. We were.” 

“But I was still an Avenger…” pointed out Tony. “I was still on the team.”

“But you didn’t listen to orders most of the time,” noted Natasha. “You may have been on the team but you were not a true member of SHIELD. Not like the rest of us were. You, Bruce, and Thor were the biggest threats to HYDRA because you did not work for them directly.”

Bruce rubbed the back of his head. “I was always on SHIELD’s radar though.”

“Not after New York,” revealed Natasha. “For a long while, Fury lost track of you which upset Alexander Pierce. Back then we didn’t know he was HYDRA either…”

Steve sagged in his seat. “A lot of people were HYDRA and we didn’t know it.”

“You cannot change what happened, Captain, only accept it,” advised Vision wisely.

They fell silent and the movie resumed. 

**The screen went dark and the words Iron Man 2 appeared on the screen.**

**The screen stayed black and a man’s voice was heard of how high up they were. ACDC’s Shoot to Thrill starts to play and the caption 6 MONTHS LATER appeared.**

Tony winced. “Ah… The Expo…”

**The back of the Iron Man suit was seen as the hatch of the bottom of an aeroplane opened up. Far below was a sprawling mess of lights and fireworks as Iron Man leapt out of the plane, falling briefly through the air before engaging his thrusters and flying down into an arena below and right onto the stage in his signature pose, with dancing girls in scantily-clad dress behind him.**

“Dancing girls?” criticised Steve. “That isn’t what an audience wanted –”

Tony leaned forward. “Someone from the past claims to know what people of this time would want?” He rolled his eyes. “The world has moved on. It is more acceptable now.”

“Besides, most of the people there went to see Tony,” pointed out Natasha. “They didn’t care about the dancing girls.”

Steve frowned but stayed silent.

**The crowd went wild as the girls danced. The caption ‘STARK EXPO – FLUSHING, NEW YORK’ appeared.**

**The girls stepped back on the stage, as the area where Tony stood began to rise and robotic arms began to quickly dismantle the suit. His helmet was one of the first pieces to be removed and Tony Stark broke out into a wide grin as he looked out upon his adoring crowd. The girls continued to dance as the suit was removed from Tony’s body, revealing him to be in a smartly dressed suit. Once free, he bowed to the audience, arms spread wideout to the side.**

“Show off,” muttered Clint darkly.

“He’s playing to the crowd,” explained Sam. “It’s his public personality. He’s promoting the Expo. It’s what any of us would do. You saw the first movie. You can distinguish between the faces of Tony Stark, can’t you?”

Clint bit his lower lip. “I suppose…” But he didn’t finish his sentence.

“I once thought the same,” began Wanda, “but even I can see this is an act.” She pointed to the screen. “That isn’t Tony Stark, Iron Man. That is Tony Stark, playboy billionaire.”

Rhodey leaned forward. “Most of you see Tony Stark, playboy billionaire. Even when he isn’t the playboy billionaire, you expect to see it.”

Steve fidgeted in his seat. He was guilty of it himself. 

**The stage rotated Tony around, as he pointed out into the audience as the music continued and the girls finished their routine by walking closer to him and facing their palms to him in the gesture he used as Iron Man.**

**The dancing girls walked off the stage as Tony clapped. The crowd cheered his name and he whirled to face the audience, claiming it was good to be back and asking if they had missed him. A man in the crowd yelled at him to blow something up. Tony noted that he had already done that. He paused briefly before continuing:**

Tony frowned. The Expo hadn’t been his best moment. It had been his ego going crazy. “Most just wanted to see my tech. They weren’t interested in what the Expo had to offer…” If he ever did the Expo again, Tony vowed to change that view.

**“** **I’m not saying that the world is enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years because of me. I’m not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has a greater phoenix metaphor been personified in human history.” He bowed his head, arms out. “I’m not saying that Uncle Sam can kick back on a lawn chair, sipping on an iced tea because I haven’t come across anyone who’s man enough to go toe-to-toe with me on my best day!** ”

“Please tell me you didn’t really believe that,” sighed Rhodey.

Tony winced. “I probably did at the time. Not now though,” he hastily added. “This movie may not show me in my best light… I had… a lot… going on.”

“In other words, don’t judge you too harshly?” Clint shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

Natasha sighed. The report she had written for SHIELD had been based on extenuating circumstances in Tony Stark’s life. A lot of the distrust and anger towards Tony from the rest of the team came from that report. Steve had taken it on board as proof of Tony’s attitude and personality. She had unfairly judged him. She hoped seeing these events would offer her an alternative look at how he had been whilst she had been assessing him for the Avenger’s Initiative. What she had seen from watching the first movie had already proven her report wrong. Yes, he still had some traits which made him unbearable but he was willing to put his life on the line.

And, she knew Tony’s stance on the Accords was because he was looking at the bigger picture, about what may happen in the future rather than the present. Perhaps if she had looked past what she had seen and studied Tony more, she may not have made such a big mistake.

Her report had laid the foundations of mistrust the team had with Tony. Potentially, she was responsible for the team’s distrust of Tony. Her report had essentially started all of this.

**Another woman shouted out she loved him. He turned away from her, waving his hand in her direction. “Please, it’s not about me.”**

Rhodey raised his eyebrows. “Really, Tones?”

Tony had the dignity to remain silent.

**The cheering continued. “It’s not about you. It’s not even about us. It’s about legacy. It’s about what we choose to leave behind for future generations. And that’s why for the next year and for the first time since 1974, the best and brightest men and women of nations and corporations the world over will pool their resources, share their collective vision, to leave behind a brighter future. It’s not about us. Therefore, what I’m saying, if I’m saying anything, is welcome back to the Stark Expo.” Another big cheer from the crowd. “And now, making a special guest appearance from the great beyond to tell you what it’s all about, please welcome my father, Howard.”**

“The Stark Expo was designed to show off the next great invention, the next ground-breaking technology. Demonstrate the best and brightest of us discovering their talent. It was also a recruiting ground back when my father run the company,” explained Tony.

“Though that particular Expo was about your ego, and you know it,” cautioned Rhodey. “Even the military didn’t like how you were handling things.”

Tony winced. The fact he’d been pulled up in front of Senator Stern the very next day had already been a big hint Tony was on the verge of going off the rails. They hadn’t wanted Tony’s antics from damaging their reputation. Though as Bucky had succinctly put it, HYDRA had wanted his suits. Tony going off the rails had given them the perfect excuse to try to take his suits legally.

Thankfully, they hadn’t succeeded.

**Tony walked off stage as the screen behind him started to play a video recording of Howard Stark. Howard leaned on his desk in his office. “Everything is achievable through technology. Better living, robust health, and for the first time in human history, the possibility of world peace. So, from all of us here at Stark Industries, I would like to personally introduce you to the City of the Future. Technology holds infinite possibilities for mankind, -” Howard walked across the room towards a model of the City of the Future. “ _-_ and will one-day rid society of all its ills. Soon technology will affect the way you live your life every day. No more tedious work, leaving more time for leisure activities, and enjoying the sweet life. The Stark Expo. Welcome.”**

Steve’s eyes focused on his friend. He’d known Howard as a young man. He’d enjoyed his company, respected him. But this Howard seemed far more mature, far wiser. This was a man who wanted to help people, do the right thing. His words on the recording emphasised as much.

Despite what he’d seen in the previous movie, Tony was still selfish. He didn’t think of the bigger picture, unlike Howard. Tony had good ideas but he was a terrible team member, especially when he didn’t follow instructions. Tony may have thought he was thinking of the bigger picture when it came to the Accords, but he wasn’t. The Accords were wrong, Steve knew it.

Becoming Iron Man may have changed Tony as a person but it hadn’t changed him completely. He was still not someone Steve would ever aspire to be.

If he could choose, he’d rather have Howard.

**Backstage Tony pulled a small device from his pocket – a Stark Medical Scanner – testing his blood. It gave out a reading of blood toxicity test 19%. Tony didn’t look pleased with the results but glanced back at the screen as his father finished talking and the crowd erupted into cheers once more.**

“Blood toxicity test?” Sam queried. “It’s the Arc Reactor, isn’t it?”

Tony inclined his head. “Yes.” At least Sam had understood right away. He didn’t seem to miss a thing. He was very perceptive.

The Falcon frowned, contemplating the new information.

**A World News 21 Reporter stood outside the entrance to the Stark Expo where she was reporting live on the events, explaining Tony had just walked offstage and if people couldn’t make it that evening, they didn’t need to worry as the Expo was going to last all year long, and she would be checking out all of the attractions and the pavilions and inventions from all around the world.**

“Didn’t even last all year round, did it?” smirked Clint. “You got it all blown up.”

“I think you’ll find it wasn’t me who was at fault there,” defended Tony, rolling his eyes.

“How did it get blown up?” Thor asked, glancing between Tony and Clint.

Tony shrugged. “You’ll find out.”

**Happy Hogan led Tony out from the Expo, through a crowd of cheering fans; Tony greeting them as they passed, some even attempting to pass him their number. He signed a few Iron Man photos, rubbed the head of an Iron Man helmet a boy was wearing.**

A little gasp escaped Tony’s mouth.

Rhodey noticed. “What is it?”

“Nothing,” swallowed Tony, not wanting to let on that he now knew the identity of the boy in the helmet.

**Happy introduced him to a man named Larry, who wanted Tony to call him. Tony assured him he would. Finally, they reached the exit and Happy commented it hadn’t been so bad. He pointed out the new white Audi parked in the centre between several Stark Expo pillars. A woman leaned against the car, wearing a knee-length skirt and a blouse, with her hair trailing down her shoulders. Tony wanted to know if she came with the car. Happy hoped she did.**

Steve shook his head. “Inappropriate comments again. Do you always have to think like that?”

“I stopped once I was in a relationship,” Tony pointed out. “I’m not as bad as you believe I am. And, I’d like to point out, I did not sleep with anyone after Afghanistan until Pepper and I got together.”

“Bit unusual for you,” commented Clint.

Tony was about to respond when Wanda leapt to his defence. “He changed. It wasn’t important to him anymore.”

“It wasn’t,” agreed Tony. “Sex was rarely on my mind. I still had a public face to keep on. The public didn’t need to know something was wrong. I’m sure you’ve realised by now I am very good with my masks.”

**She walked forward as they approached, a piece of paper in her hand, and she shook Tony’s hand. Her name was Marshal and Tony liked that she was Irish. Tony told Happy he was going to drive, and he enquired where Marshal was from. She told him and he followed it up with wanting to know why she was there. As the car converted into an open-top, Tony got into the driving seat.**

**Marshall was looking for him and he wanted to know what she was up to.**

**“Serving subpoenas.” She held up the letter for him to take.**

“Ouch. Not there for a social visit then,” winced Bruce.

“What is a subpoena?” asked Thor.

“It’s a summons to court,” explained Natasha. “You can’t ignore it.”

**Tony didn’t. “Yikes.”**

**Happy reached across and took the letter. “He doesn’t like to be handed things.”**

**“Yeah, I have a peeve.”**

**Marshal informed Tony he was ordered to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow morning at 9am. Tony wanted to see the badge and Marshal double checked with him before she held it up for Tony to see. She asked him if he still liked it. Tony did. He started the car’s engine and asked Happy how far they were from D.C. They were about 250 miles away. Tony put the car into gear and accelerated away, tires screeching.**

“You drove there overnight?” Sam wasn’t sure why he was surprised.

“New car, new wheels. I wanted to run it in,” said Tony. “A drive to D.C fit into that.”

“Besides, he drives fast. He’d make it in half the time,” pointed out Rhodey.

“And breaking the speed limit,” muttered Steve. “Rules are made to be followed.”

Tony scoffed. “So, I’m not allowed to speed past the speed limit but it’s alright for you to ignore the rules imposed by one-hundred and seventeen countries and more? Are you telling me, _Captain America_ , is exempt from the rules?”

Steve went red in the face, puffing out his cheeks. “That’s not-!”

Sam laid a hand on Steve’s arm. “Our actions say otherwise, Steve.”

“You’re having second thoughts?” hissed Steve.

“I’m seeing things in a different light,” replied Sam. “We could have done things differently, Steve, and you know it.”

Steve pursed his lips.

**Early morning in Washington D.C, at the hearing, Tony was not paying attention to Senator Stern, instead of trying to talk to Pepper who sat behind him in the crowd. Senator Stern banged the gavel. “Mr. Stark, could we pick up where we left off? Mr. Stark. Please.”**

**Tony turned. “Yes, dear?”**

**“Can I have your attention?”**

**“Absolutely,” Tony confirmed, with one arm still over the back of the chair and slightly twisted in his seat.**

Bucky grinned. “That HYDRA Senator deserves to be ignored. He wasn’t a nice man.”

Tony couldn’t resist commenting loudly. “I’m surprised I’m not being got at for ignoring a person in authority, or does it not matter now that we know Stern was affiliated with HYDRA?”

Steve bristled, keeping his lips shut. Tony could be so… frustrating!

**“Do you or do you not possess a specialised weapon?”**

**Tony leaned into the microphone. “I do not.”**

**Stern did not seem to believe him. “You do not?”**

**“I do not. Well, it depends on how you define the word weapon.”**

Sam frowned. “As much as I don’t want to agree with a HYDRA operative, he is right in that the Iron Man suit is a weapon. I’m not exactly sure how you can define it otherwise. It has weapons on it. Lethal weapons.”

“I know,” admitted Tony. “But it could also be termed something else, which was how I was trying to define it at the time.”

**“The Iron Man weapon.”**

**“My device does not fit that description.”**

**Stern leaned forward a bit. “Well… How would you describe it?”**

**Tony continued. “I would describe it as what it is, Senator.”**

**“As?” Stern queried.**

**“It’s a high-tech prosthesis.” Around Tony, the audience laughed. “That is… That is… That’s actually the most apt description I can make of it.”**

“It is that…” mooted Bruce. “Fishy waters there, Tony.”

“But the media was on Tony’s side,” added Rhodey. “He was flying high from opening night of the Expo. There wasn’t much Tony could do wrong at that time. Even public polls showed they didn’t want the military to have access to Iron Man. They trusted Tony with it. It was the Government, particularly Senator Stern, that had issues with Tony having the suit.”

“If they had succeeded in taking my suits and tech away from me, I’m certain HYDRA would have had me assassinated as soon as possible to ensure I couldn’t build another. In fact, if I’d been taken into custody at any point…” Tony trailed off.

“As I said, HYDRA had several plans for you. If they could get their hands on you, they would have done. Ultimately, they needed to take you out of the game. But they had to play their cards carefully,” explained Bucky quietly.

**Stern disagreed and reinforced his view it was a weapon.**

**Tony argued back. “Please, if your priority was actually the well-being of the American citizen…”**

“HYDRA’s priority was never about the people,” barked Steve, “it was always gaining power for themselves and making the world they thought it should be.”

**Stern spoke over him. “My priority is to get the Iron Man weapon turned over to the people of the United States of America.”**

“To HYDRA,” spat Sam. “Not that anyone knew it at the time.” He shifted in his seat to look at Bucky. “Not sure if you would know this, but if they had commandeered Tony’s suits, would they have gone straight to HYDRA?”

Bucky shook his head. “I don’t think so. The American Military would have had the suits but it would have been analysed, and all the data sent back to HYDRA headquarters so they could begin manufacturing their own suits. HYDRA was not ready to face the world yet, otherwise, they would have done. They spent years developing Project Insight. They had a lot of plans going on behind the scenes, many of which I was not partial to.”

“Wait…” Clint frowned. “War Machine is a part of the American Military. HYDRA must have had the data on the Iron Man suits.”

Tony shook his head. “No. They don’t. They had the suit for a space of a few days. All the data they collected went to Hammer Industries, not HYDRA. After that, I struck a deal to be the one who maintained the War Machine suit. I controlled the servers and all the data. HYDRA couldn’t get it.”

“And only select people were allowed access to the suit after I bought it to the Air Base,” revealed Rhodey. “Myself, the Major and Hammer. None of whom were affiliated with HYDRA. They couldn’t access the data. It was kept strictly off record.”

“Tony is very good at keeping his data hidden,” noted Natasha. “Believe me, SHIELD has tried multiple times to hack his servers.”

Tony grinned. “And each time SHIELD tried, I always knew. Not that I ever said. I expected it to happen from a super-secret spy agency.”

**“Well, you can forget it. I am Iron Man,” said Tony sincerely. “The suit and I are one. To turn over the Iron Man suit would be to turn over myself which is tantamount to indentured servitude or prostitution, depending on what state you’re in.” There was another laugh among the audience behind Tony. “You can’t have it.”**

**“Look, I’m no expert…” Stern was cut off.**

**“In prostitution? Of course not. You’re a Senator. Come on!” Tony tapped the table, turned around as the crowd laughed, holding his left hand up. Pepper did not look impressed. He mouthed ‘no’ at her and she shook her head slightly.**

“Your lady is not impressed!” Thor noted.

“Making jokes about the sex life of a Senator wasn’t the most responsible thing I should have done,” admitted Tony. “I wasn’t taking the summons seriously. I should have performed more admirably befitting my position. I had been getting more and more careless in recent weeks. But… I hope you may be able to see why I was and understand my reasons, whether you agree with them or not.”

“I’ve learned my lesson from judging too harshly,” revealed Wanda. “I’m not going to judge you until I know the full facts.”

“Thank you, Wanda,” smiled Tony, appreciating her support, a slight tinge of surprise running through him at her words.

**Stern adjusted his tie. “I’m no expert in weapons. We have somebody here who is an expert on weapons. I’d now like to call Justin Hammer, our current primary weapons contractor.”**

“Who is now in jail,” said Sam.

“He wasn’t the best…!” winced Rhodey.

**Tony looked up at the announcement as Justin Hammer settled at the desk to his left. “Let the record reflect that I observed Mr. Hammer entering the chamber, and I am wondering if and when any actual expert will be in attendance.”**

“I’m not apologising for that,” stated Tony.

“You’ll all see what Tony means,” explained Rhodey.

Natasha raised her hand. “I can vouch for that, having met Hammer.”

**The audience murmured as Hammer laughed, pulling the speaker towards him, and then walked out in front of the desks to face the audience. “Absolutely. I’m no expert. I defer to you, Anthony. You’re the wonder boy. Senator, if I may. I may well not be an expert, but you know who was the expert? Your dad. Howard Stark. Really a father to us all, and to the military-industrial age. Let’s just be clear, he was no flower child. He was a lion. We all know why we’re here. In the last six months, Anthony Stark has created a sword with untold possibilities. And yet, he insists it’s a shield. He asks us to trust him as we cower behind it. I wish I were comforted, Anthony, I really do. I’d love to leave my door unlocked when I leave the house, but this ain’t Canada. You know, we live in a world of grave threats, threats that Mr Stark will not always be able to foresee. Thank you. God bless Iron Man. God bless America.”**

“Technically, the suit was a shield,” explained Rhodey. “Tony was going out on missions with the army and protecting the American soldiers. He was shielding them to an extent.”

“And shooting terrorists,” stated Tony matter-of-factly.

Rhodey groaned. “Not the point I was trying to make, Tones!”

Tony laughed. “I know.”

**Tony was slightly shaking his head, left hand covering his mouth. Hammer sat down. Stern praised Hammer for his words and continued to explain that the committee wanted to invite Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes to the chamber.**

**Tony was surprised. He hadn’t been informed.**

“I never said…” admitted Rhodey. “I was told not to tell you. I think they hoped me showing up would throw you off guard and you’d make mistakes that would enable them to have a strong case to take your suits. They wanted me on their side, not yours.”

Tony had realised this. But now he knew the bigger context to it. Still, they hadn’t succeeded in getting his suits, and they never would.

**Cameras flashed as gentle murmuring echoed through the chamber as Rhodey walked in. Tony got up to greet his friend, telling Rhodey he hadn’t expected to see him here.**

**Rhodey told him to deal with it and move on. When Tony didn’t, Rhodey said to drop it which Tony agreed.**

**Stern revealed he had a complete report on the Iron Man weapon which had been compiled by Colonel Rhodes, and requested the Colonel to read page 57, paragraph four, for the record.**

**Rhodey didn’t like that. “You’re requesting that I read specific selections from my report, Senator?”**

Steve frowned. “That’s not right. The full report should be taken into account. Not just a small part of it.”

**Stern confirmed it.**

**Rhodey continued to speak, further stating his concerns. “It was my understanding that I was going to be testifying in a much more comprehensive and detailed manner.”**

**Stern attempted to reroute the conversation.** **“I understand. A lot of things have changed today. So, if you could just read…”**

**“** **You do understand that reading a single paragraph out of context does not reflect the summery of my final…” Rhodey wasn’t giving up as Tony looked on.**

“I’m glad you persisted,” observed Sam.

“Good thing the cameras were there too,” noted Natasha. “The public could see Stern was trying to manipulate the situation to his advantage. He wasn’t a very popular Senator. I suspect he only kept on getting elected because HYDRA rigged the system to keep their people in power.”

“They did,” confirmed Tony. “Once you dumped all their data, I helped to comb through it. Quite a few Senators, on both sides of the political spectrum, were arrested. HYDRA had a big grip within several political parties.”

**Stern did not relent. “** **Just read it, Colonel. I do. Thank you.” Stern looked smug as if he had won a verbal battle.**

**Rhodey opened the file. “** **Very well.” He started to read the assigned paragraph. “‘As he does not operate within any definable branch of government, Iron Man presents a potential threat to the security of both the nation and to her interests.’” Rhodey didn’t stop there and further elaborated: “I did, however, go on to summarise that the benefits of Iron Man far outweigh the liabilities and that it would be in our interest…”**

“That was all he wanted?” gaped Sam. “That one sentence?”

“Yup!”

Wanda shook her head. “But you were working with the Government, weren’t you?”

“With the military,” confirmed Tony. “When they wanted me to be. I wasn’t contracted with them. I offered to help when they needed me. I wasn’t paid for it either. It wasn’t a job; it was a responsibility I gave myself – to protect the people I had once sought to defend with my other weapons. It was the Government that wanted to have more control. The Army was relatively happy I had control, providing I arrived when they needed me to.”

“Until you started to go a bit crazy, mind,” muttered Rhodey.

“Circumstances,” whispered Tony back.

**Stern kept interrupting to force the Colonel to stop speaking as Rhodey attempted to explain he’d recommended for Mr. Stark to be folded into the existing chain of command.**

**Tony leaned forward. “** **I’m not a joiner, but I’ll consider Secretary of Defence, if you ask nice.” Laughter echoed around the chamber. “We can amend the hours a little bit.”**

Steve pulled back. “Secretary of Defence?”

“I was joking,” pointed out Tony. He narrowed his gaze. “I’m guessing you think I would not be suited for Secretary of Defence?”

Steve wisely kept his opinions to himself, but it was clear from his expression he didn’t think such a responsible position should be offered to Tony Stark.

Sam watched the interaction, a curious expression on his face.

**Stern pushed on forward. “I’d like to go on and show, if I may, the imagery that’s connected to your report.”**

**Rhodey wasn’t sure about the Senator’s request. “I believe it is somewhat premature to reveal these images to the general public at this time.”**

**“** **With all due respect, Colonel, I understand. And if you could just narrate those for us, we’d be very grateful. Let’s have the images.” Stern didn’t seem to care.**

“Showing potentially distressing images to the general public just to one-up Stark is wrong,” grated Sam.

Tony chuckled. “Don’t worry. The plan backfired. I already knew what they were going to show and had a contingency plan.”

**A tv screen to the left showed aerial footage of photos where construction was underway on attempts to remake the Iron Man suit. Rhodey confirmed these had been corroborated by their allies and local intelligence on the ground.**

**Tony leaned back in his chair, playing with a miniature Stark device.**

**Rhodey added it was possible these suits were quite possibly operational.**

“They aren’t,” grinned Tony.

**Tony leaned across the table, holding his device up, allowing it to wirelessly connect to the screen with the photos. “Hold on a second buddy. Let me see something here. Boy, I’m good. I commandeered your screens. I need them. Time for a little transparency. Now, let’s see what’s really going on.” A little greeting appeared onscreen, welcoming Tony to the system.**

**There was muttering withing the room at Tony’s unorthodox actions as Stern expressed concern at what he was doing.**

Bucky laughed. “You’re showing the truth instead of the doctored version of events they had already prepared! That’s… brilliant."

“I try my best,” bowed Tony.

**Tony continued to fiddle with his device. “If you will direct your attention to said screens, I believe that’s North Korea.”**

**He pulled up a video of a bulky suit falling over and bullets firing, blood splattering across the screen. The voices in the room increased in volume as shock ran through the room at the brutal images now being shown. Stern ordered for it to be turned off, and Justin Hammer attempted to do so.**

They winced.

“This was shown on tv?” gaped Steve.

“It was,” stated Tony. “But Stern shouldn’t have changed the terms of the hearing. It was meant to be behind closed doors. It was Stern who changed it at the last minute because he thought he could embarrass me in public. He didn’t seem to think the tech genius could outwit him.”

“He wasn’t very smart then,” said Bruce.

“I’m just showing the public what was really going on. Stern wanted to show other countries successfully creating their own suits so he could have a case to take mine from me. I had the means to prove him wrong. Granted, it wasn’t smart to show such graphic imagery live on TV, but my hands had been tied. He wanted the hearing made public, he had to deal with the consequences. Someone really should have warned him,” said Tony.

“I think they tried but a HYDRA lackey wouldn’t allow anyone to dictate to him unless it was from someone in his own organisation,” grated Natasha.

**Tony pulled up a video of Iran where a suit was briefly in the air before crashing and erupting into smoke. Hammer was desperately trying to locate the off-switch.**

**“No grave threat here,” stated Tony. “Is that Justin Hammer? How did Hammer get in the game?”**

**Justin Hammer was onscreen, instructing a pilot in the suit with directions to turn the suit in. Tony told him to focus up as on-screen Justin told the pilot to give him a left twist, and then to the right. And that was when it went wrong. The suit turned the wrong way and the man inside the suit screamed in agony. Justin could be heard swearing in the background of the video.**

“WHAT THE HELL?” Sam leapt to his feet. “How was that man still allowed to be Weapon’s Contractor after being shown in that test?”

“Bribes,” stated Rhodey. “The Government wouldn’t terminate his contract. He did have good ideas for weapons… his execution of them was… iffy.”

“He didn’t have a good success rate,” stated Tony. “And, it helped the pilot did survive, though was paralysed for life.”

Sam sat back down, shaking his head.

**Finally, Hammer found the plug and pulled it, the screens going dark once more.**

**The crowd was still muttering amongst themselves at the shocking footage they had seen as Stern lowered his head slightly, covering his face with his hand.**

Clint smirked. “He didn’t want that footage being seen. Too bad.”

“That is what you get when you attempt to mess with Mr. Stark,” advised Vision. “If he so wishes to, he has the means of destroying everyone in this room. I remember admiring his tactics as an A.I. I learned a lot from Mr. Stark, some of which has remained with me.”

The others looked uneasily at one another.

**“Wow. Yeah, I’d say most countries, five, ten years away. Hammer Industries, twenty,” informed Tony.**

Tony bowed his head. “If only I had considered other factors…” he whispered quietly.

**Justin made a point of stating that the test pilot had survived.**

**Stern tried to take control once again. “I think we’re done is the point that he’s making. I don’t think there’s any reason…”**

“Now, he’s trying to save himself,” sighed Natasha.

**“** **The point is, you’re welcome, I guess,” Tony pointed out.**

**Stern was confused. “** **For what?”**

**“** **Because I’m your nuclear deterrent. It’s working. We’re safe. America is secure. You want my property? You can’t have it. But I did you a big favour.” He stood up and turned to face the crowd. “I’ve successfully privatised world peace.” Tony made the peace sign with both hands and everyone in the chamber stood up, clapping and talking all at once.**

Tony groaned. This was one of the times he wished he could have changed his actions. “I’ll freely admit my ego was out of control there. I was on a high, having won against that idiot.”

“I honestly don’t blame you,” sighed Sam. “Not that I would do it myself.”

“Would love to know what HYDRA thought of you after that performance,” observed Bruce.

“I expect my approval ratings with them continued to decline…” Tony guessed.

**Tony was in his element now. “What more do you want? For now! I tried to play ball with these ass-clowns.”**

Rhodey shook his head. “And now you are playing to the crowd. This is the ‘Tony’ people thought he was. He isn’t.”

**Stern leaned forward, angry. “Fuck** **you, Mr. Stark. Fuckyou, buddy. We’re adjourned. We’re adjourned for today.”**

“Did he… did he seriously just swear live on tv?” gaped Steve.

“He did,” confirmed Sam.

“He got bad press for a few days,” revealed Tony. “Then everything else happened and he was forgotten and he could resume his verbal attacks on me…” 

**Tony put on his sunglasses. “Okay!” Rhodey sat at the table, a glum expression on his face, hardly believing what Tony had done.**

**“You’ve been a delight.” Stern was not impressed.**

Natasha chuckled. “Fury wasn’t impressed either with your antics there, but now we know the context and who Senator Stern was… well played, Stark.”

“Err, thanks?” Tony wasn’t sure if she meant it or not. But he did want to point out he could have done things differently. “Given another chance, I would have changed exactly what I said. I was a bit of an asshat there. Pepper didn’t appreciate it either. She left half-way through, not wanting to see me go any further.”

“I had noticed she’d disappeared from the crowd,” mused Bruce.

“She did give me a hard time after it though,” admitted Tony. “On reflection, I should have told her the truth instead of hiding it from her.”

“Hiding what?” asked Thor.

“I’m testing my blood for toxicity…” started Tony, waving his hand in the hope the God of Thunder would recognise his meaning.

“You were dying…” whispered Wanda.

“Yeah, I was.” Tony’s shoulder’s sagged. “What was the point of being responsible when I didn’t have much time left? That was my reasoning.”

There was a discerning silence in the room. 

**The scene changed to a tv screen in Russia, on one of their news channels, covering the Senate Committee, as Tony walked through the crowd. Ivan Vanko was hard at work with pieces of a suit he was making as Tony continued to talk to the camera, as the Russian newscaster translated his words.**

**_“_ ** **_My bond is with the people. And I will serve this great nation at the pleasure of myself. If there’s one thing I’ve proven it’s that you can count on me to pleasure myself.”_ ** **Tony whipped his glasses off as he moved out of the camera view.**

Steve pulled a face but didn’t make a comment. Now wasn’t the time.

**Vanko sat at a desk, twisted a switch and electricity ran up and down long whips he’d created. Then the scene changed to Vanko wearing a contraption, not a full suit, rather a chest piece that helped power the whips. He approached the wall which held many articles on Tony Stark before he cut the tv in half as it showed Tony’s face.**

Sam leaned forward. “And he’s managed to create a working Reactor that no other country could, thereby proving what you said in the hearing was wrong.”

“Yeah…” Tony sighed. “It was unexpected…”

“But, to be fair to Tony, Vanko was just as brilliant as him,” explained Rhodey. “He had the plans for the original Arc Reactor. No one else in the world did. And Tony had no idea his father had worked with someone else in developing the Arc Reactor. If anyone was going to recreate the Arc Reactor, it would be someone who had the original plans. Not his fault if he didn’t know his father had collaborated with someone else, is it?”

Steve inclined his head, agreeing. “I think I can speak for all of us when I say we can’t blame Tony for this.”

Tony nodded, accepting the support, though he was surprised by it. Perhaps by the end of all these movies, they would understand him? Still, they had a long way to go. Settling into the sofa, Tony returned his attention to the screen.

**To be continued...**


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper becomes CEO and Natasha enters the picture, as the Avengers continue to view Iron Man 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who passed on condolences about my cat, Luna. It really meant a lot, so thank you for all your comments! Luna was very special to me as she was my first pet, and her loss still hurts us, especially considering how unexpected it was and how quickly, and as she was so young... :(
> 
> I'm still trying to get back into the groove of writing again and I am back at work though events last week may mean my job role will have to change, so goodness knows what will be happening. 
> 
> Please, enjoy this chapter!

**Understanding the Real Hero: Iron Man 2**

**Two**

**The screen panned across the ocean, heading towards Tony’s mansion as the words ‘MALIBU, CALIFORNIA’ appeared onscreen.**

Sam smiled. “That view will never get old. Such a lovely view to wake up to every day.”

“You never said anything before in the previous movie…” noted Tony.

Sam shrugged. “I was going to but Clint decided to have a go at you when he himself has all that land for his farm. Completely secluded from everyone else. I wasn’t sure my opinion would have been welcome after it.”

Clint glared at Sam for his comment.

Tony sighed. “Shame, it was a nice view to wake up to. Pity the mansion is gone now.”

Sam shoulders sunk. “What happened to it?”

Tony winced. “It got blown up…” he admitted cautiously. “It was in all the press over Christmas a few years back… surely you saw it?”

“It’s a tradition in my family to avoid all the news for the Christmas period. Complete media blackout,” answered Sam.

“Huh.” Tony found it surprising and interesting, considering the traditions of others. “I’d be surprised if it wasn’t covered in these movies. If it isn’t, I’ll tell you about it when this is all over.”

**Tony sat at his desk in his lab, rock music playing, as he told everyone to wake up as Daddy was home.**

“Do you consider your creations… your children?” Wanda asked curiously.

Tony nodded. “I do. Especially my A.I’s and DUM-E and YOU. Though DUM-E and YOU do not have the same level of intelligence as JARVIS did or FRIDAY, they are capable of thinking for themselves in a limited capacity. They’re still conscious of their surroundings, still aware and can make decisions themselves.” He considered an example. “Oh, like you saw in the previous movie. DUM-E knew I needed help to reach the Arc Reactor. I didn’t ask him for help, he just did it. He recognised my need.”

Wanda tilted her head to the side. “They’re alive but not alive but can make decisions?”

“Exactly. JARVIS was the most advanced A.I I had. He was always learning.” Tony glanced at Vision. “JARVIS is still learning now as part of Vision. And Vision is learning from JARVIS... even though JARVIS is gone. Who and what he was is gone. Even if I could recreate him, he wouldn’t be the same as the one I lost. FRIDAY can never replace JARVIS. But they are capable of increasing their understanding. They would never turn against me. It’s not in their programming.”

“But Ultron did,” pointed out Steve cautiously.

“There were other mitigating factors in Ultron’s creation,” admitted Tony quietly. “Most of which were out of my hands. There is a lot you do not know about it, and I’ve shielded you from it so I take the blame.”

Wanda looked uncomfortable.

“You’ll find out. And, maybe you won’t judge me so harshly anymore,” sighed Tony, though not really having much hope for it. He really doubted their opinion would change. He just had to get through this. 

**JARVIS was the first to respond. “Welcome home, sir. Congratulations on the opening ceremonies. They were such a success, as was your Senate hearing. And may I say how refreshing it is to finally see you in a video with your clothing on, sir.”**

“Does anyone else find it weird JARVIS used to watch those videos of Tony without his clothes on?” asked Sam, feeling a bit uneasy.

“JARVIS wasn’t really watching them…” laughed Tony. “He was always set to monitor anything to do with me on the internet. That way he could shut it down if it needed to be. JARVIS had his own personality that gelled and clashed with mine. He didn’t look for those videos intentionally. It was all part of his programming. Anything flagged up on the system as soon as the words ‘Tony’ and/or ‘Stark’ were mentioned or appeared.”

“His job was to make Tony aware of everything going on around him,” explained Rhodey. “Not that Tony took much notice. JARVIS used to get very frustrated with him but he couldn’t do anything about it.”

Vision cocked his head to the side slightly. “Perhaps this explains why I am very patient when it comes to Mr. Stark? I rarely get angry with him – or others – instead I consider the logic in everything I come across and come to reasonable conclusions based on all available evidence.”

“Or the JARVIS part of you has just given up on trying to dissuade Stark from anything,” mocked Clint. “And you can’t really be bothered to try to change his opinion as you know it is useless rather than trying to understand him. You may believe you understand him, but you don’t.”

Tony felt a little bit of anger rise up inside his chest and bit his tongue, trying not to rise to the comments.

“I think I know more about Mr. Stark than you do, Mr. Barton,” stated Vision. “I would suggest refraining from commenting on how I analyse things or of how I understand them.”

Clint opened his mouth to respond but Steve’s level glare caused him to rethink his response and he fell silent. 

**Tony chuckled as the aforementioned video appeared on his hologram display.**

**One of the robots, You, was trying to make a smoothie, without a blender lid, making a mess as it covered the walls and tabletop before You knocked the blender over.**

**Tony threatened to dismantle him and soak his motherboard before turning You into a wine rack.**

**You looked down sadly.**

“You never meant that did you?” queried Bucky.

“I didn’t. I could never destroy my creations,” stated Tony. “To take away their life would make me a murderer.”

“You have killed though,” pointed out Natasha.

Tony sighed. “I have, but I haven’t gone out and intentionally murdered people, have I?”

They exchanged glances with one another as Tony leaned forward to see their expressions. Clint didn’t look too impressed but his lack of comeback suggested he could not think of a time when Tony had intentionally killed before.

Steve shifted in his seat. “Sometimes people die because of our actions. We try to save as many as we can. Not everyone makes it out alive. Failing to save people or killing in battle doesn’t make us murderers. It never has.”

“If anyone here is a proper murderer, it’s me,” answered Bucky quietly. “I killed people. People who had no chance to defend themselves.”

“Bucky…” Steve started but the Winter Soldier shouted over him.

“Don’t try to defend me! It doesn’t matter if I was mind-controlled, I knew no different! I still did those things! I still participated in it! Why can’t you understand it, Steve?” Bucky shook his head, hardly daring to believe the stubborn belief Steve continued to hold.

Steve’s lips twitched. “It wasn’t you…”

“Yes, it was. They wiped who I was, rewrote me. Yes, they used words to trigger the Winter Soldier but crucially it was still me who did all of those things. Being controlled and brain-washed doesn’t change the fact that my hands killed people. I may have been a victim, Steve, but I am a murderer. No matter which way you look at it, it doesn’t change the fact I am a murderer,” said Bucky.

“That isn’t fair on you. You shouldn’t be blamed for HYDRA using you the way they did,” argued Steve, trying to reason with his friend.

“I murdered people I knew, Steve.”

Tony swallowed. The video of his parent’s murder flitted through his mind. A part of him wanted to stop this conversation from continuing, but another part was intrigued as to the outcome.

“It still wasn’t you,” beseeched Steve.

“I remember every person I killed, Steve. I remember their names, their faces, and the utter terror on their faces as I killed them. I can still feel my hand wrapping around her throat, choking the life out of her.”

Tony paled. Was Barnes talking about his mother?

“Buck…” Steve looked upset.

“You wouldn’t be held accountable for the murders though,” interrupted Sam. “You have no accountability. Legally, you are not a murderer because you were being controlled. You believe you are a murderer but you’re not.”

Bucky sighed and held up his hands. “It doesn’t change the truth that these hands killed people.”

Tony felt he needed to step in. He leaned forward. “You may have killed people, but you did not willingly do it. They had to mind-wipe you every time to ensure your compliance. Sam is right. You have no accountability towards the people you killed. Their murderers are the people who ordered you to do it in the first place. You were a victim who was horrifically used.” He’d had a long time to think after Siberia. What he’d hated was Steve keeping things from him and not telling him. If he’d known Bucky had killed his parents as the Winter Soldier prior to Siberia, he wouldn’t have reacted as badly as he had done.

The shock of seeing his parents be murdered instead of dying in a car crash was horrific. He hadn’t expected it. Though his actions were wrong and he shouldn’t have attacked Bucky, when a human being experiences something as traumatic as that, all reasoning goes out the window. Tony hadn’t cared Barnes had been mind-controlled due to the horror of what he had been forced to witness and the knowledge that Rogers had kept it from him.

Yes, he’d kept the secret to protect Tony but it had also been kept to protect Bucky from Tony.

“Do you really believe that Tony?” asked Steve cautiously. “That Bucky has no accountability?”

Tony could see where this was going and he wasn’t in the mood for it. “Yes.”

“Then why –”

“Stop it, Steve,” hissed Bucky. “I can understand why. And so should you!”

Steve fumed but relented.

“We’re definitely missing something,” commented Bruce. “Care to enlighten us?”

Tony shook his head. “You’ll find out,” he replied, keeping a stern eye on Steve.

The others looked uncomfortable around the room but chose not to enquire further as the movie resumed.

**Tony asked JARVIS how many ounces a day of the smoothies did he need to drink, and the AI explained he needed to consume up to 80 ounces a day to counteract the symptoms. Tony drank a glassful of green liquid before pulling out the STARK Medical Scanner and checking his palladium levels again by pressing his thumb to the scanner, allowing a needle to pierce his skin and draw blood.**

**“Blood toxicity, 24%,” reported JARVIS. “It appears that the continued use of the Iron Man suit is accelerating your condition.” Looking at the scans of his chest Arc Reactor, it clearly showed deterioration around where the Reactor sat. “Another core has been depleted.”**

Bruce winced. “That looks painful. Using the Arc Reactor is killing you. How quickly were you using the cores up?”

“Within a few days…” admitted Tony. “I had a supply to be used. There was no other alternative. Believe me, I tried everything to find a suitable replacement.”

Wanda frowned. “You must have found a replacement though… otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

Tony nodded. “At the time I hadn’t found a suitable replacement, and I’d been looking. I did find one which reversed the problem I had.”

Natasha smiled slightly, remembering her time with Tony during this crisis. 

**Tony lifted his shirt up and removed the Arc Reactor. He turned it over and the core popped out, rusted and slightly smoking. “God, they’re running out quick.”**

**“** **I have run simulations on every known element, and none can serve as a viable replacement for the palladium core,” commented JARVIS.**

**Tony has a case of new palladium cores. The core itself is silver and Tony picked up the next one in the case and inserted it into the Reactor before placing it back inside his chest.**

**“You are running out of both time and options. Unfortunately, the device that’s keeping you alive is also killing you,” observed JARVIS from the data available.**

“I was very concerned about Mr. Stark,” commented Vision. “I recall feeling hopeless, unable to help my creator in his time of need. I had always been able to help him before…”

Wanda squeezed his hand. “But you couldn’t then.”

“No. Though the idea of caring for someone is foreign to me, I am learning. JARVIS’ matrix is within me and his care and concern for Mr. Stark has formed a part of who I am. I think… even now… if something was to happen to him…” Vision hesitated, “I’d still care for him and miss him.”

Tony listened quietly, his heart, warming ever so slightly. “Thanks.”

**Tony was worried and he lifted his shirt up to examine his chest on camera, taking note of the blue-veined lines extending from the Arc Reactor and out onto the surface of his chest.**

Sam cringed. “That doesn’t look pretty.”

“It wasn’t. I was very uncomfortable with it,” sighed Tony. “If there had been another way to save my life without the Arc Reactor, I would have done.”

“But you do not rely on it anymore,” pointed out Steve.

“Only because the technology came along which facilitated its removal,” explained Tony quietly. “Before it, any such operation could have been fatal, not a risk I was willing to take.”

“What made it possible?” queried Wanda.

Tony glanced at her. “I thought you may already know…”

Wanda was confused by Tony’s statement. “How would I know?”

“I just reasoned that since you hated me, you would have found out as much as you could about me. Was I wrong?”

Wanda bit her lower lip. “No… you weren’t. I did find out information about you but the Arc Reactor wasn’t something I considered,” she admitted.

Tony held his chin. “Though it wasn’t very well publicised, it was picked up on that I went to hospital and had surgery.” He glanced at the others. “I did try to hide the existence of the Arc Reactor, at least for a while. But by the time the team formed, it was an open secret.” The Arc Reactor powering Stark Tower had only been possible because of Tony’s insistence on how powerful the new element he had discovered was. He had patented it and held the formula to the element until he saw a time, he felt the world could have it. It had meant the world had become more aware of the Arc Reactor physically in his chest. But Tony had still kept it close to him.

He hung his head, wondering what to say. “I think you’ll find out what made it possible for me to have the Arc Reactor removed,” said Tony. He cast a glance at Bruce who looked away. “Though one person here should already know it.”

“And me,” Rhodey raised a hand. “But I’m not included in that number as its obvious I know pretty much everything about Tony Stark.”

“Apart from when I didn’t want anyone to know things…” grinned Tony.

“Which is all the time, Stark,” stated Steve.

Tony folded his arms across his chest. “Really?”

“Ultron,” the Captain pointed out.

“Do you not remember me asking Thor if it was alright to run some tests on the sceptre?” reasoned Tony. “And, yes,” he raised a hand, “I did bring Bruce in, but we never _created_ anything!”

“But you did something right though,” replied Steve stonily. “You tried to create something.”

“I tried but I didn’t succeed. The data gathered supports this, repeated Tony. “And, you’ll see.”

Steve observed him carefully. “This isn’t going to go your way, Tony. Better to admit it now so that when it is proven you bought Ultron to life; we can still forgive you.”

Tony’s mouth hung open. “Unbelievable…! You’ll be lucky if the world ever forgives _you_!”

“The world knows I am right on the Accords. They just can’t see it yet,” stated Steve.

Sam shook his head. “Steve… drop it!”

“STOP IT!” yelled Wanda, standing from her seat, and placing herself directly in front of them all. “If anyone is going to take the blame for Ultron it should be me!”

“Wanda-” began Steve, but she cut him off.

“NO! I let Stark take the blame for Ultron before. His creation is more on me than Stark.” She stood firmly, her eyes flashing. “All of this division is because of my choices. I blamed him for things he had no control over. It’s time for me to stop running and stand up for my actions…” She swallowed, catching Steve in the eye. “And, its time you should too.”

Steve was stung, surprised by the venom in Wanda’s words.

“What do you mean Ultron’s creation should be more on you?” asked Thor, watching her suspiciously.

“Wanda…” Tony said gently, “don’t.”

She looked at him. “Why not? They’ll find out anyway!”

“Find out what?” Sam wanted to know.

“Remember when the Hulk was let loose in Johannesburg?” Bruce intervened quietly. “It was Wanda’s manipulations that did it. We all believed Tony hadn’t been affected by Wanda’s magic…”

“But you were…” breathed Clint, realisation showing across his face.

“When?” asked Steve quietly, a little shame creeping into his cheeks.

Tony sighed. The secret was out. He didn’t want to say. He knew they were going to likely see what he saw anyway…

“Sokovia,” answered Wanda. “When he found the sceptre, I was there. I was going to kill him… That’s what I always wanted to do… but when Tony was there, mere feet from me, I knew I could do something so much worse to him. I showed him his worst fear. It was what I showed him… made him rethink the idea of Ultron. If I hadn’t touched his mind…” She couldn’t finish.

“…I probably would have left the sceptre alone,” admitted Tony. “And wouldn’t have considered the abandoned idea that was Ultron… Ultimately, I still pursued the idea of Ultron… but it was a project I had deemed unable to finish and had abandoned it. Then the vision I saw and the idea of Ultron became possible with the sceptre. But I never reached a successful interface. What happened was a fluke, and had nothing to do with me.”

“If anything, it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t meddled with his brain,” admitted Wanda. “I regret it… I really do. This division among the team is my fault.”

“Wanda…” Steve said sadly, but Wanda shook her head, not wanting him to attempt to change her mind.

“What did you see, Tony?” asked Sam quietly, watching the Inventor cautiously.

Tony chewed his lower lip. “Nothing that I wish to divulge now. It’s better you see it for yourselves. And you will, in about two or three movies.”

He resolutely returned his attention to the screen.

The others did too, knowing Tony would only divulge when he wanted to. They couldn’t push him, even if they wanted to.

**“Miss Potts is approaching. I recommend that you inform her…”**

**Tony cut JARVIS off, dropping his shirt back down, and ordered his A.I to be muted. He switched the computers to a screen saver as Pepper input a code to his lab door and opened it, approaching him on her impossibly high, high-heels.**

Rhodey turned to Tony. “Why did you not tell Pepper?”

“To protect her, I didn’t want her to worry if she knew I was dying,” answered Tony.

“Miss. Potts always worried about you, Mr. Stark,” added Vision. “Even during your break.”

“There is no way you could possibly know that,” stated Tony.

“Miss. Potts used to contact me and ask how you were doing. I told her the truth,” explained Vision.

Surprise flickered across Tony’s face. “And the truth was…?” he prompted.

“That you were sad.”

“Oh.” Tony hadn’t been expecting that answer. It was rather accurate. He had been sad. And he had suffered depression with Pepper leaving, and he’d tried to get on with it, hoping that if he showed he was trying to change she might come back.

Pepper had, though it had been because of what had occurred in Siberia, it had been the incident which had got them talking again, and they had decided to get back together.

Tony wasn’t sure he could live long without Pepper in his life. She was his anchor, the person who made him happy. He loved her. The most accurate description he could think of how their relationship had helped him, was that she had kept him sane.

He had a lot to be grateful for with Pepper.

_I just hope I do not screw it up again._

**Tony drank more of the smoothie as Pepper approached. She was angry and upset.**

**“** **Is this a joke? What are you thinking?”**

**Tony didn’t know what she was referring to.** **“What?”**

**“** **What are you thinking?” she demanded.**

**“** **Hey, I’m thinking I’m busy. And you’re angry about something. Do you have the sniffles? I don’t want to get sick.” Tony got up from his chair and walked away from his desk as Pepper followed. It was clear she had the sniffles.**

Steve frowned. “That was rude, Tony.”

“It was. If it helps, I apologised to her later on. Bear in mind I knew I was dying and I had a few things I wanted to get done before I died. Getting pneumonia from a cold before I could finish everything wouldn’t have been a good way to die,” pointed out Tony.

“But dying from palladium poisoning was better?” Rhodey reasoned, raising his eyes in concern.

Tony pulled a face. He’d rather not have either.

**“** **Did you just donate…”**

**He kept interrupting her. “** **Keep your business.”**

**Pepper didn’t relent. “** **…our entire modern art collection to the…"**

**“** **Boy Scouts of America,” finished Tony.**

**“** **Boy Scouts of America?” Surprise crossed Pepper’s face.**

“That was the art collection she spent years curating for you,” pointed out Sam. “It may be your collection but it was just as much hers as it was ours after all the time, she spent on it.”

Tony winced. His motivation behind donating the art work had been ensuring that there wouldn’t have been a lot for Pepper to sort out upon his death. He hadn’t considered how fond she may have been of the art collection. “That was… sucky of me to that behind her back.” The admission didn’t come easy.

**As Tony walked away from her, he pulled something from the holograms in the air, scrunched it up into a ball and then threw it across the room into a goal, a score flashing up it hit the recycle bin. “Yes. It is a worthwhile organisation. I didn’t physically check the crates but, basically, yes. And it’s not “our” collection, it’s my collection. No offence.” Tony continued to move holograms out the way and then grabbed a large piece and threw it towards the back of the room.**

Natasha shook her head. “You really can be conceited.”

Tony didn’t have anything to argue back with. They were all right. His behaviour here had been… uncool.

**Pepper followed, not letting Tony distract her. “No, you know what? I think I’m actually entitled to say “our” collection considering the time that I put in, over 10 years, curating that.”**

“No offence, Tones, but I’m glad she’s standing up to you,” said Rhodey. “Don’t push us out of your life next time just because you are dying.”

Tony wasn’t sure he couldn’t promise that.

**Tony defended his actions.** **“It was a tax write-off. I needed that.”**

**Pepper was losing patience. “** **You know, there are only about 8,011 things that I really need to talk to you about.”**

**Tony tapped Dummy on the top, telling him to stop spacing out as another machine was already doing the work.**

**“** **The Expo is a gigantic waste of time,” said Pepper.**

“In retrospect, it was,” frowned Tony. “The idea behind it was good but the execution… left a lot to be desired.”

“You still own me a car, by the way,” said Rhodey.

“You got the suit instead,” commented Tony, grinning.

**Tony placed his hands on her upper arms.** **“I need you to wear a surgical mask until you’re feeling better. Is that okay?”**

**Pepper coughed.** **“That’s rude.”**

Steve sighed.

Clint scratched the back of his head. “I really don’t get why she didn’t just leave? You treat her… horribly! You claim you love her but that isn’t how you treat people who you love!”

Tony pursed his lips. “I know.”

“Then why did you do it?” asked Sam.

Tony sighed. “I wanted to push her away, so she wouldn’t hurt when I died. She’d be safer that way.”

Sam shook his head. “Pushing her away wouldn’t have stopped the hurt. She would have felt guilty she hadn’t pushed further to get you to open up. You wanted to make sure she didn’t feel pain? You were going the wrong way about it. You cannot stop other people from feeling pain over your death, no matter how hard you try to push them away before it happens.”

Tony nodded. “Are you a counsellor? You come across like one…” He hadn’t really looked too deeply into Sam’s past.

“I helped veterans with their PTSD,” explained Sam.

Tony was surprised. He wondered if that was the reason why Sam was able to empathise with him.

“You and I should have a talk,” suggested Sam, “after this is all over. Don’t get me wrong, but you are displaying all the signs of PTSD. It might help you to talk to someone like me.”

Tony didn’t have the heart to deny it. He knew it was true. He smiled warmly at the former para-rescue soldier. “Thanks.”

Sam inclined his head. They would discuss details later.

**Tony walked off.** **“There’s nothing more important to me than the Expo. It’s my primary point of concern. I don’t know why you’re…”**

**Pepper begged to differ.** **“The Expo is your ego gone crazy.”**

“From what I can see,” said Bruce, “it is. But you wanted to go out with a bang…”

**Tony paused and picked up a painting of Iron Man, proclaiming it to be a piece of modern art and he was going to put it on the wall. The painting showed the suit, half in red and the other half in blue.**

**“** **You’ve got to be kidding,” disagreed Pepper, shaking her head.**

**Tony stated he was going to put the painting up right now as it was vital.**

Rhodey groaned. “I honestly cannot believe you two are arguing over that…”

Tony wilted in his chair.

**Pepper followed him as he walked to the other end of the lab. She was attempting to emphasise the point that Stark Industries was in complete disarray and hoped Tony understood that.**

**“** **No. Our stocks have never been higher,” disagreed Tony.**

**“** **Yes, from a managerial standpoint,” she attempted to help him understand. She was prepared to give him another example however he pushed to move onto another subject.**

Clint sighed. “You weren’t interested at all…”

Steve sniffed. “A bit disrespectful. Your whole stance here, Tony, doesn’t sit well with me.”

Watching it back, Tony could see what an arse he had been. Even though he had been dying, it wasn’t an excuse to simply not care about the other important things going on in his life.

**Tony reached the corner of the lab where the small kitchen area was. He climbed up onto the kitchen units, taking down an artwork of the Barnett Newman as Pepper protested behind him. She didn’t want him to take it down. He reiterated he wasn’t taking it down, merely replacing it with the Iron Man portrait.**

**Pepper pressed ahead with her point. “My point is, we have already awarded contracts to the wind farm people.”**

**“** **Yeah. Don’t say “wind farm.” I’m already feeling gassy.” Tony waved away her protests.**

**Pepper continued to hammer him with facts. “** **And to the plastic plantation tree, which was your idea by the way. Those people are on payroll…”**

**“** **Everything was my idea,” stated Tony.**

**Pepper bristled,** **“…and you won’t make a decision.”**

“Can I ask you something?” piped up Wanda quietly.

Tony shifted in his seat. “Sure.”

“Did you care about your company at this point? Everything I’ve seen here… It’s like you’ve reverted back to your old ways. Evert bit of progress you’ve made has gone out the window.”

“I knew what I was doing,” he admitted, “but I wasn’t very good at communicating it across. I was dying. The future of _Stark Industries_ didn’t bother me. I knew it was going to the right hands.”

Sam gasped. “This is when you gave her CEO, isn’t it?”

Tony nodded. “Yep. She’d been doing the role for years without getting the money for it. She was the best candidate for the job. She knew S.I in and out. There was no other contender who could do it better than her.” He glanced at Wanda. “I guess you are going off me a bit?”

She shrugged her shoulders, her brown hair falling across her face. “A bit… but I do understand why you are doing what you are. You’re trying to protect those who care for you, even if you are going the wrong way about it.”

“As I said earlier… these events were not my finest moments,” cringed Tony. “Please, keep an open mind.”

Wanda nodded.

**Tony stood facing her on the worktop. “I don’t care about the liberal agenda anymore. It’s boring. Boring. I’m giving you a boring alert.” He jumped off the desk. “You do it.”**

**Pepper was baffled.** **“I do what?”**

**Tony looked like he’d just had an epiphany.** **“Excellent idea. I just figured this out. You run the company.”**

**Pepper agreed she was trying to run the company, completely missing Tony’s point.**

Sam smirked. “You need to be more on point for her to understand what you are trying to do.”

**“Pepper, I need you to run the company. Well, stop trying to do it and do it.”**

“Again, rude,” stated Steve.

**She was getting exasperated. “** **You will not give me the information…”**

**They were talking over one another, not getting each other’s points. They both accused one another of not listening to each other.**

**Tony spoke louder.** **“I’m trying to make you CEO. Why won’t you let me?”**

Rhodey rolled his eyes. “Finally, he says it! You could have just started with that, you know.”

“I did try…” Tony pointed out. “I told her ‘to do it’.”

“That isn’t the same as trying to make someone CEO though,” Natasha reasoned. “You were giving your duties to her. That’s how it came across. Not that you were trying to make her CEO.”

“I’ve never been succinct in what I say, you know that.” 

“True,” sighed Nat.

**Startled, Pepper startled, looking a bit shocked, then leaned forward and scrutinised Tony. “Have you been drinking?”**

**Tony nodded. “Chlorophyll.” He stepped forward and placed his hands on her arms. “I hereby irrevocably appoint you chairman and CEO of Stark Industries effective immediately. Yeah, done deal. Okay?” He walked away from her.**

Steve peered curiously at Tony. “How long did you know you were going to ask Pepper?”

“A few weeks. I wanted to hold off until after the Expo had opened, otherwise, Pepper would have shut it down. I wanted the Expo to go ahead.”

Rhodey frowned. “I don’t believe she would have shut it down. It was a waste of money but too much work had gone into it, to end it completely. Maybe not make it a year-long expo though. It still would have gone ahead, maybe with a shorter duration.”

Tony had to admit his friend was probably right. 

**Pepper was shocked and didn’t know what to say.**

**DUM-E rolled over holding a tray with glasses and champagne. Tony reached for them, pouring the drink into the glasses. “I’ve actually given this a fair amount of thought, believe it or not. Doing a bit of headhunting, so to speak, trying to figure out who a worthy successor would be. And then I realised it’s you. It’s always been you.”**

**Pepper sat down, shocked and confused.**

“One minute she’s yelling at you, the next she’s shocked and confused,” grinned Bruce. “Do you surprise her a lot?”

“At least once a day.”

**Tony continued to explain his thought processes. “** **I thought there’d be a legal issue, but actually I’m capable of appointing my successor. My successor being you.” He handed her a glass but she didn’t take it. “Congratulations? Take it, just take it.”**

**Pepper was shaking her head, a happy and surprised expression on her face.** **“I don’t know what to think.” She took the glass from him.**

**They tapped glasses and drank to Pepper’s promotion as she laughed in disbelief.**

“It was about time Pepper received the credit for all her hard work,” noted Tony. “Not sure what I would have done if she had refused the position. There was no one else I could trust with S.I. If I’d died without a successor in place…” He didn’t want to think of the ramifications of such an event.

“SHIELD would have stopped S.I falling into the wrong hands,” said Natasha. “We’d been monitoring you for a while. We had someone we could have brought in.”

“Not HYDRA?” queried Tony.

“Surprisingly, not. Our candidate wasn’t. But they could have been manipulated into working for HYDRA unknowingly, as a lot of us were,” revealed Natasha.

**In a snowy alleyway in Russia, a man handed Ivan Vanko a letter. Once the man was gone, Vanko retreated further into the darkness and opened the letter. It contained a fake passport and a ticket for the Grand Prix De Monaco Historique.**

Tony frowned. So, that was how Vanko had been at the race. He’d always planned on being there. Tony racing had been the icing on the cake.

“Why would he need a ticket for the Grand Prix?” asked Clint.

Tony and Natasha exchanged a glance.

**Pepper walked into Tony’s gym where he was boxing with Happy in the ring. Pepper informed him the transfer paperwork had arrived with the Notary. Tony pulled an unorthodox move on Happy, hitting him in the face with his elbow and apologised. Happy wanted to know what that move was. Tony explained it was mixed martial arts and had only been around for three weeks. Happy proclaimed it was dirty boxing and there was nothing new about it.**

Steve didn’t look happy. “Cheating?”

Tony shrugged. “Dirty tactics.”

**The Notary walks in. It is Natasha. Her hair is dark red, curling just past her shoulders and she wore a white shirt and black skirt with high heels to extenuate her height. Both Happy and Tony take notice of her.**

Steve’s head whips around. “What? Nat? You worked for Stark?”

“On Fury’s instructions,” she admitted.

“Why?” Wanda glanced at her.

“There are several reasons,” she explained. “We had to get close to him. SHIELD had a suspicion something was wrong with him. We had to find out what.”

**Pepper promised Tony this would be the only time she would ask him to sign over his company.**

**Natasha approached Pepper, opened the folder, and showed her documents she needed Pepper to initial.**

**Happy hit Tony on the back of the head with a light punch. “Lesson one. Never take your eye off…” He was cut off as Tony kicked him, sending him back to the edge of the boxing ring. Happy declared he was done and Tony grabbed a water bottle and pointed at Natasha.**

**“What’s your name, lady?”**

Steve sighed. “I’m not even going to comment on how your ability to talk to women doesn’t include being polite.”

Tony leaned back. “You said you weren’t going to comment but then you did make a comment…”

“He’s got you there, Steve,” grinned Bucky.

**Natasha gave a fake name. “Rushman. Natalie Rushman.”**

**Tony invited her to come into the ring. Pepper couldn’t believe Tony was asking Natasha to do that.**

Clint smirked. “Bad move.” He knew exactly what Natasha was capable of.

**“It’s not a problem,” reassured Natasha.**

**As Natasha walked to the ring, Pepper apologised to her. “I’m sorry. He’s very eccentric.”**

“Crazy more like…” muttered Rhodey underneath his breath.

**Natasha entered the ring, a sultry look on her face as Tony took a swig from the bottle. He asked Happy to give her a lesson and climbed out of the ring and went towards Pepper who was sitting down on a white chair, big enough for two people.**

**“Pepper.”**

**“What?” she asked.**

**He sat next to her. “** **Who is she?”**

“Ew.” Steve shuddered. “Tell me you didn’t –”

Natasha raised a hand to stop him from going any further. “No, I didn’t. Tony and I did not sleep together. Though I will admit, if he had wanted to sleep with me, part of my mission was to let him.”

“Wait… what?” Shock spread across Tony’s face.

“I even tried to seduce you.”

“You did?” Tony couldn’t recall.

“When you asked me about your birthday party. I said to you…”

He remembered. “Oh.”

“And you turned me down.”

Steve let out a long sigh of relief.

**“** **She is from legal. And she is potentially a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit if you keep ogling her like that.” Pepper played with her phone.**

“I wouldn’t have sued…” grinned Natasha.

**Tony folded his arms across his chest.** **“I need a new assistant, boss.”**

**“** **Yes, and I’ve got three excellent potential candidates. They’re lined up and ready to meet you.”**

“None of whom he is interested in, now he’s seen Natasha,” commented Rhodey. “That’s how Tony worked. If he needed a spot filled in his team, if he saw a beautiful woman, he wouldn’t settle for anyone else.”

“Tony’s interest in me becoming his P.A was part of the plan to get close to him,” said Natasha. “We knew he wouldn’t have been able to resist once he saw me.”

Tony winced. “I’m not sure if I should feel pleased or not…”

**Tony said he didn’t have to meet them, and he needed someone now and he felt like it was her. Pepper disagreed, with a smile on her face, enjoying the power she now had over Tony.**

“I like the fact she has the means to control you,” commented Rhodey. “And, you can’t do anything about it.”

**In the ring, Happy asked Natasha if she had boxed before. Natasha said she had. Happy tried to gauge from her what she had tried before. Watching from beside Pepper, Tony clapped his hands and the table next to him lit up. He started a search.**

**“How do I spell your name, Natalie?”**

**Natasha glanced over at him, spelling her surname.**

**Pepper rolled her eyes. “What, are you gonna google her now?”**

“I googled everyone,” admitted Tony. “Always good to know the history of anyone coming into close contact with me. I was rather impressed with your profile. A shame it was fabricated by SHIELD.”

“Most of it was true,” said Natasha. “It was made of previous assignments I had carried out with SHIELD. It was a good cover to get me into businesses when I needed to.” 

**Tony brought up Natalie Rushman’s file on the table. “I thought I was ogling her.” He skimmed through her file. He was very impressed, prompting Pepper to tell him he was very predictable. Tony continued, noting with interesting Natalie Rushman was fluent in French, Italian, Russian and Latin. He wanted to know who spoke Latin, in which Pepper responded no one did, and that it was a dead language. One could read Latin or write it, but you couldn’t speak it. He found modelling shots of Natalie in scantily clad clothing and enlarged them. “Did you model in Tokyo? ‘Cause she modelled in Tokyo.” He faced Pepper. “I need her. She’s got everything I need.”**

“Were you interested just because of those photos?” queried Steve.

“Yes…” Tony felt ashamed. “I was a playboy. It was part of who I am.”

**Natasha was overhearing the conversation, not observing Happy who told her that rule number one was to never take your eyes off your opponent. He went to take a swing, but Natasha was faster, grabbing his hand, flipping her legs over his head and bringing Happy down into the ring.**

Clint winced.

Thor bellowed.

“Poor Happy,” Rhodey laughed.

“Would have paid good money to have that have been Stark,” stated Clint.

Natasha caught Clint’s eye and frowned at him. He mouthed ‘sorry’ to her, but did not verbalise his apology.

**Pepper leapt up in shock. “Oh, my god! Happy!”**

**Tony rushed over as Natasha released Happy from her grip and they both got to their feet. “That’s what I’m talking about.”**

**Happy claimed he had just slipped. Tony didn’t believe him. He commented it was a TKO and rang the bell as Natasha left the ring.**

**Natasha stood in front of Tony. “I need your impression.”**

**Tony wasn’t sure by what she meant.** **“You have a quiet reserve. I don’t know, you have an old soul.”**

Tony hung his head. “I really should have known what you meant there.

“I used specific words to assess you. Your responses helped me form the report I was writing,” explained Natasha. “Though, in hindsight… I should have been fairer to you. You were going through a lot… and assessing you for the Avenger’s Initiative wasn’t the right time. I didn’t see who you had become.” 

**Natasha corrected him.** **“I meant your fingerprint.” She opened up the file.**

**Tony swallowed.** **“Right.” He pulled the boxing glove off and pressed his thumb to the box, signing over his company to Pepper.**

**The new CEO approached them, wanting to know how they were doing.**

**Tony explained they were just wrapping up and Pepper was now the boss. She smiled widely.**

**Natasha closed the file. “Will that be all, Mr. Stark?”**

“Did you do that deliberately because you knew Pepper said that phrase to him?” asked Bucky.

Natasha winced. “Maybe a bit… but it was etiquette too when working as a PA.”

**Tony said no just as Pepper said:** **“Yes, that will be all, Ms. Rushman. Thank you very much.”**

**As Natasha left, Tony turned to Pepper and told her: “I want one.”**

Natasha leaned forward. “You can’t have me.”

“But I did have you as my P.A.” Tony pointed out.

“Not for long though. I was never really yours; you know that now, Stark,” smiled Natasha. 

**He looked a bit put-out when Pepper didn’t agree with him.**

“I swear Pepper enjoyed torturing me,” sighed Tony. “But she did agree to you becoming my P.A in the end.”

“Only because I put myself forward,” explained Natasha. “Once I spoke to Fury, he instructed me to push for the position. Pepper agreed, though reluctantly. I was the best candidate for the job.”

“With your fake C.V…” Rhodey pointed out.

“All part of the job I was doing. Contrary to what people may believe, Fury didn’t want Tony to die. Our job was to keep him alive.” Natasha caught Tony’s gaze. “You just made it very difficult for us.”

Tony fell silent, musing for a bit before speaking again. “Sorry. I was out of control. If I was going to die, I wanted to enjoy the last few weeks of my life.”

Natasha would have reached for Tony if she could have. “I think we all would have done if we were in the same position. I know I would have.”

Gratification crossed Tony’s face. “Thanks. Thanks for at least trying to understand.”

“I think that is what we are here for, Tony, to understand you.” What she didn’t add out loud was the end of the sentence. _And, maybe to save you._ Because, deep down, Natasha had the feeling that they would witness Tony’s death at the end of this, and that they were supposed to find a way to save him from his fate.

**To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!
> 
> Tony views his bots and his A.I's as his children, and Vision, because he is made up of parts of JARVIS too, is still quite fond of Tony, even if he doesn't know how to show it. 
> 
> Bucky's feelings about being a murderer... Even though he was a murderer of many people, he didn't do it willingly as he was brainwashed and controlled by HYDRA. That doesn't change Bucky's feelings on the subject though. He still feels immense guilt. It is implied in Civil War that he does remember his victims, so I've chosen to go with the idea Bucky is haunted by every murder he did. He also understands why Tony reacted the way he did in Siberia. Tony has had time to reflect on Siberia and has realised Bucky cannot be blamed for his parent's death. It's like Wanda blaming Tony for her parent's death. It wasn't him. Though Bucky did kill Tony's parents, he wasn't himself. The blame for that lies directly with HYDRA for controlling Bucky. 
> 
> The other Avengers never knew Tony was affected by Wanda in Siberia at the start of AOU. It's never really mentioned in the movies if anyone does know, and I can see Tony keep this a secret from everyone else. 
> 
> As to whether Ultron would have happened without Wanda's interference... My thoughts on this are that Ultron was an abandoned project. I know I've read that somewhere - Tony had already attempted it and failed - but the sceptre and the vision made him rethink Ultron and see if he could make it work. Personally, I feel Ultron would not have happened if Wanda hadn't forced Tony to see his worst fear. I think he would have analysed the sceptre, collected the data and that was it before handing it back to Thor. I think there is some belief that the Mind Stone inside the sceptre activated Ultron too, as it is said in AOU that Tony was nowhere near an interface so Ultron's activation was done by outside forces, for example, Thanos. I will cover this train of thought more when we reach Age of Ultron. 
> 
> Sam and Tony are forming a bit of a friendship, and Sam will be helping Tony with his PTSD too. 
> 
> Nat trying to seduce Tony... IM2 gave me the impression if the opportunity presented itself, she would have slept with him, especially after the way she told him before his party that if it was her last birthday, she'd do it with anyone she wanted to do it with. My take on that was this was a test for Tony as Natasha was assessing him, and part of her assaignment was to get close to him. Considering his history with sleeping with women, I think its realistic to assume if he wanted to have sex with her, Natasha would have obliged. I was hesitant about including this potential idea, but the more I think on it, the more I consider it likely Natasha would have been prepared for that possibility. A lot of the way she looked at Tony throughout the movie when I was rewatching it, certainly gave me that impression. Though, you may interpret it differently to me! 
> 
> The next chapter should be posted next Sunday 4th October!
> 
> Until then,
> 
> the-writer1988


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony joins the race in Monaco and Ivan Vanko attacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> It has been a very stressful week for me, to the point I nearly had a breakdown. This chapter may not be up to my usual standards, and I may come back later on and edit it, but at the moment I cannot really find anything to add into this that isn't already there. 
> 
> I hope this chapter isn't too disappointing! Please, do, enjoy!

**Understanding The Real Hero: Iron Man 2**

**Three**

**The camera panned over an idyllic city by the sea. Monaco. Two police motorcycles escorted a black car to the Hotel De Paris where Tony left the car to the sound of cheering fans.**

“What was the reason for you going to Monaco?” asked Sam. “Because we saw Vanko get tickets for the race. Did he know you would be there?”

Tony nodded. “He did. It was a tradition for me to go to the Grand Prix there. Every year, without fail, I made the trip. Stark Industries always fronted a driver.”

“If you wanted to gain Iron Man’s attention, do it when you know he is going to be there,” revealed Rhodey. “Even if he isn’t there, he’ll probably come running.”

“Flying,” pointed out Tony. “Iron Man doesn’t run.”

Rhodey rolled his eyes. “Pedantic.” 

**He held up his hand and gave them his trademark peace sign. Happy opened the passenger door and Pepper stepped out in a stunning black dress and high heels on, with sunglasses on her face. Happy carried a red suitcase with him as the three of them walked into the hotel.**

“That doesn’t look like a normal suitcase,” observed Bucky.

Tony grinned. He liked the suitcase suits. They were very handy to have on hand. Though the new technology he was developing with the nanonites, showed a lot of promise, which would enable him to carry the entire suit around with him in an Arc Reactor. He’d be able to defend himself instantly if he was ever threatened or attacked. His suits had come far in the last few years. He’d learned so much about the technology that he had new advances with the tech often. He was stretching it as far as it could go. He had a lot of hope for his new suit, hopefully, it would enable him to counteract any attacks upon Earth and be the defender he knew he had to be. 

**Tony told Pepper that since it was Europe, to just go with it with whatever happens in the next twenty minutes.**

“Oh no,” Steve pulled a face. “What have you got planned?”

“It’s not good if he is advising Pepper to just go with it,” said Rhodey. He leaned into his friend. “You were already intending on joining the race, weren’t you? It wasn’t a spontaneous decision, was it?”

Tony had the decency to look ashamed. “If I was dying, it's better to go out with a bang rather than the decay I was going through,” he replied quietly. “Palladium poisoning had a lot of effect on me. I wasn’t just acting out because I could, I was acting out because of the effects of the poisoning as well.”

“I wish you had told us the truth of what was happening to you,” sighed Rhodey. “We could have helped you cope. Sometimes your reliance on doing things just by yourself hasn’t exactly gone well for you in the past, has it?”

“No,” Tony admitted, his shoulders drooping.

Rhodey leaned in close, his voice quiet. “Don’t push us away when you need us most. You just isolate yourself more.”

Tony nodded. “I know… but I want to protect you all. By doing so, when I die you won’t miss me.”

Rhodey shook his head. “Tones. We _will_ miss you. You believe no one would, but plenty of people will.”

Tony lowered his head. “I don’t think anyone here would, other than you.”

“Tony, that isn’t true,” interjected Steve. “We do care. You are still a vital part of the team even with what has happened between us. If anyone on this team died, they would be mourned and missed. Just because the Accords happened doesn’t mean we would celebrate at your death.”

“Clint would,” Tony pointed out. “Despite the fact I made sure his family was safe, and he got into this situation of his own making, he still blames me. He still hates me. If anyone here would celebrate at my death, it would be him.”

Clint’s cheeks went red and he couldn’t meet Steve’s gaze.

Wanda wistfully spoke up. “Once upon a time, I’d have been happy. But now… the thought of you dying, Tony, is not something I wish to happen.”

“Thanks.” A warm smile crossed Tony’s face as he looked at her.

Clint looked thoughtful but didn’t say anything. 

**Pepper didn’t understand what Tony meant. He didn’t get a chance to explain as Natasha approached them, wearing a nice red dress, and asked them how their flight was. Tony revealed it was excellent and it was nice to see Natasha. She informed them there was one photographer from the ACM, and Pepper wanted to know when had that happened. Tony smiled and told her she had made him do it. Pepper didn’t know what he was referring to. He inferred she had quit and told her to smile and stop acting constipated and flaring her nostrils. They both smiled for the cameraman, with Pepper quipping he was so predictable.**

“Tony is actually very unpredictable,” observed Bruce. “You never know what he is going to do before he does it. You think he’s going to do one thing, when in fact he does something else instead.”

“Like the missile in New York,” reasoned Steve. “When we had a way to close the portal, we had the threat of the nuclear missile. Tony told us to leave the portal open just a bit longer. He knew where to put it.” He glanced at Tony. “I wasn’t expecting you to fly through the portal completely though.”

“I had to. I had to make sure it was through. Plus, doing so, enabled me to destroy the command centre controlling the army. I didn’t know that would happen at the time but…”

“It saved the day for us,” acknowledged Natasha. “Just closing the portal wouldn’t have stopped the army already on Earth. We would have still struggled to contain them all.”

“I wonder if closing the portal would have closed off their connection to the command centre?” considered Bruce, tipping his head slightly to the side. “Thor?”

“The Chitauri were capable of long-distance. They didn’t need a control centre near them. Even if the portal had closed… the army would still have been active. Destroying the control centre was the only way to end the threat of the army on Earth,” said Thor. “Stark chose wisely in what he did then. Though…”

“What is it?” asked Tony. He had a feeling he knew what was coming.

“What did you see through the portal?” queried Thor. “You’ve never said.”

Tony didn’t need to say. They’d view it anyway. “You’ll find out. I’m sure the next movie will show you all. It is called ‘The Avengers’ after all. Can only be how we all met and formed the team.” He glanced down. “Besides, I don’t like remembering what I saw.”

Rhodey rubbed his back gently in support. 

**Tony complimented Natasha, telling her she looked fantastic but added it was unprofessional of him.**

“Yes, it was,” mused Natasha dryly. “But I was used to comments. It was all part of my job as a SHIELD operative when out on assignments.”

**He wanted to know what was on the docket. Natasha told him his itinerary included a dinner at 9:30, in which Tony said he’d be there at 11. Tony pointed to a table in the corner of the room, asking if it was reserved for them. Natasha said it could be and walked away.**

“What if it was reserved by somebody else?” queried Steve. “Would their reservation be cancelled because of Stark wanting that specific table?”

“From what I remember there were a few tables free, others can be reserved if they pick a specific table,” explained Natasha. “Fortunately, the table Tony wanted was free.” 

**Pepper greeted Elon Musk, and he congratulated her on her promotion, shaking hands. Tony asked Elon how it was going, noting the Merlin engines are fantastic. Elon pointed out he had an idea for an electric jet. Tony verified with him and said they will make it work. He walked away with Pepper.**

“Did you collaborate with Musk at all?” Bruce wanted to know.

“We had a meeting…” shrugged Tony. “Didn’t work out. His ideas were too extreme for my taste.”

Bruce laughed. “I thought you two would be perfect for one another, collaborating together.”

Tony pulled a face. “Err, no. We’d probably end up hating each other. We’re too much alike to be able to feasibly work together. Plus, some of his ideas are out of this world.” 

**“You want a massage?” he queried.**

**Pepper refused. “Oh, God. No. I don’t want a massage.”**

**Tony didn’t seem to notice the refusal.** **“I’ll have Natalie make an…”**

Steve sighed. “You really need to start listening. Don’t force things on people who clearly do not want it.”

Tony fought the urge to bite back.

“I think he wants to make things easier for her,” observed Wanda cautiously. “She’s clearly stressed. I mean, working for, and with Tony Stark for years is enough to make anyone stress out.”

Tony couldn’t fault her logic. “She’s right.”

**“** **I don’t want Natalie to do…” Pepper interrupted him.**

**But Tony butted in.** **“Don’t want you tense. By the way, I didn’t mean to spring this on you.” They arrived at a bar.**

**Pepper thanked him and Tony commented that green was not her best colour.**

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Rude.”

**Then Justin Hammer appeared, his head poking out from behind someone. “Anthony. Is that you?”**

**Tony sighed and said to Pepper:** **“My least favourite person on Earth.”**

“That title may have passed to someone else now,” muttered Tony quietly, his eyes briefly going to Steve. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Steve now, not after Siberia. If he had to spend the day with someone and his two options were Hammer or Rogers, he’d likely pick Hammer. Even if the day itself would be torture.

Rhodey watched him, concerned scattering across his features. “I know you are trying to convince yourself you would rather spend the day with Hammer than with Steve, but I think we all know you’re better off with Rogers than with Hammer. I know you, Tones.”

Tony sighed. Rhodey was right.

**Justin patted Tony on the shoulder.** **“Hey, pal.”**

**Tony muttered Justin’s name to Pepper.**

**“How are you doing? You’re not the only rich guy here with a fancy car. You know Christine Everhart from _Vanity Fair_. You guys know each other?”**

Clint smirked. “Question is, do you remember her?”

Tony growled under his breath. Yes, he had a habit of forgetting the women he had slept with, and he had forgotten Christine’s name… but he knew her well now.

“Clint…” Steve warned. Though he did pass a critical eye upon Tony, not sure if he should be warning Clint or not.

Tony sighed. He knew this specific timeframe this movie covered would be hard but the resulting snarky comments were becoming unbearable. The judgemental looks he could cope with, the comments not so much. “If you _must_ know, Christine Everhart is the only journalist who I trust.”

Sam whipped his head around. “Really? Why?”

“Simple really. We got off to a bad start as you saw… but after she drew my attention to the dealing under the table, I knew I could rely on her a bit. She recognised I never knew about it, and saw what I was trying to do to help. Once it was revealed I was Iron Man, Christine and I came to a deal with her editors and any future employers of hers. She got exclusive interviews with me regarding my activities as Iron Man. It was a deal that meant every year she got an exclusive. It still stands today.”

“When is the next interview due?” asked Bucky.

“Soonish?” Tony wasn’t sure. He always relied on Pepper to tell him. Even though she wasn’t his P.A anymore, she still kept him informed of his media obligations. “Everhart is a good reporter.”

**Christine approached them, her blonde hair loose and wearing a nice blue fitted dress.** **“Hi. Yes.”**

**Pepper replied they did know her, and Tony muttered his confirmation as well.**

**Justin pointed out Pepper’s promotion as the big story of the moment and offered his congratulations.**

Rhodey smirked. “I don’t think he really meant it. He really doesn’t like Pepper. Or you.”

“Why doesn’t he like the Lady Pepper?” Thor asked. “I can’t imagine anyone disliking her!”

“You’d be surprised,” revealed Tony. “You’ll see why he doesn’t like her later.”

**“My editor will kill me if I don’t grab a quote for our Powerful Women issue,” said Christine.**

**Pepper wasn’t sure.** **“Oh.”**

**“** **Can I?” the reporter asked.**

**Pepper nodded. “** **Sure.”**

**“** **She’s actually doing a big spread on me for _Vanity Fair_. I thought I’d throw her a bone, you know. Right?” explained Justin.**

“Which was never published…” grinned Tony. “He was very proud to be interviewed for _Vanity Fair_ but the following events meant his big moment in the spotlight didn’t really happen. These events scuppered his company too. Hammer Industries is no more.”

“What did happen to his company?” asked Sam. “I know he’s in jail now but the reasons why are very hazy…”

“That’s the beauty of it. He hated _Stark Industries_ so much that I bought out his company. It was either I did it or thousands of people would have lost their jobs. I kept his company going, folding it into _Stark Industries_ , so the business wouldn’t collapse. Hammer wasn’t impressed I had done that, I might add, but if he gets out of jail, he won’t be able to return to business. His reputation is tarnished from what he does in this movie.”

“I’m glad you helped his employees to keep their jobs,” praised Sam. “Rivals of businesses would let a lot of them fall. Not all of them would be saved.”

Tony shrugged. “It was no big deal. Hammer’s employees didn’t deserve to lose their jobs. Besides, in the end, acquiring all the sites once owned by Hammer allowed S.I to increase our own production lines and bring in a range of experience from different areas of science. It really helped S.I grow larger than it already was, increasing profits at the same time. We could expand into a lot of other areas too with the added workforce. It was a very lucrative deal.”

**“Right. Well, she did quite a spread on Tony last year,” understood Pepper.**

**“And she wrote a story as well,” commented Tony.**

**Pepper agreed. “** **It was very impressive.”**

**Tony nodded.** **“That was good.”**

**Pepper seemed appreciative.** **“It was very well done.”**

**“** **Thank you,” said Christine.**

“She doesn’t seem so bitchy,” observed Bruce. “Which is good. She seems like a reporter we could trust.”

“I had considered bringing her into the Avengers Media Team, but I never got around to asking her,” revealed Tony. “Considering the team is barely one now, we probably do not need a Media Reporter.”

Steve looked thoughtful. Bucky caught his expression and minutely shook his head.

“Not a good idea, Steve. If you want to get your side of the story across, you need to be seen working with the people you are against. Only then they may listen to your concerns,” advised Bucky.

Steve pursed his lips. “That’s not true. The Accords are not working. We have to wait until they are disbanded and we are invited back. You’ll see I’m right.”

Bucky sighed. “I don’t think you are right, Steve. We did everything wrong. I just hope you see why when we reach the Civil War movie.”

Shock crossed Steve’s face. “Buck? You can’t be –”

“I’m tired of running, Steve, and so are you. Stark stays and doesn’t run and accepts responsibility. Why can’t you?” 

Steve wasn’t sure what to say.

**Pepper told Tony she was going to wash. He didn’t want her to leave but Justin prevented Tony from following, asking him how it was going. Tony placated him with an answer as Justin pulled Tony into a hug, acting all friendly. Tony wanted to escape, putting on his sunglasses. Christine wanted to know if this was the first time, they had seen each other since the Senate.**

**Tony managed to pull away. “** **Since he got his contract revoked…”**

**Justin tried to backtrack.** **“Actually, it’s on hold.”**

“It was on hold but also partially cancelled,” clarified Rhodey. “The Military was investigating the incidents with the suits. They decided to give Hammer a chance to prove to us he was worth it otherwise we would terminate the contract. In the end, it was.”

**Christine followed, holding out her recorder to capture both Tony and Justin’s answers.**

**“** **That’s not what I heard. What’s the difference between “hold and “cancelled”? The truth?” Tony asked.**

**Christine agreed.**

**“** **No. The truth is… Why don’t we put that away?” Justin tapped Christine’s recorder. “The truth is, I’m actually hoping to present something at your Expo.”**

“That was the caveat that Hammer needed to prevent his contract with the Military from being completely written off. We were going to ask you to give him a slot,” revealed Rhodey. “In the end, Pepper arranged it after you were uncontactable.”

Tony frowned. “Must have been when SHIELD blocked all communications…”

“They did that?” Rhodey wasn’t surprised.

“Yeah. But it was for good reason,” shrugged Tony.

**Tony found a table and the three sat down close to the window. “Well, if you invent something that works, I’ll make sure I get you a slot.”**

“Nice burn,” laughed Bucky. “I like the correlation there.”

“You’re referring to the suits he was trying to test in the video from the Senate Hearing?” verified Steve.

“Yeah,” nodded Tony. “They didn’t exactly go as planned, did they?”

Steve acceded the point.

**Natasha arrived and informed him his corner table was ready. Justin continued to talk to Christine, informing her he already had a slot this year. Tony pointed out that Hammer still needed a slot as he walked off.**

Rhodey elbowed his friend. “You had to get in one last dig, didn’t you?”

**In the bathroom, Tony did another reading for Blood toxicity. It read 53%. Tony sighed, leaning down and looking at himself in the mirror. “Got any other bad ideas?”**

“Uh oh,” muttered Bruce.

“That’s when I made the decision to really enter the race,” said Tony. “The progression of the poisoning was happening too fast. I would have been dead within a few weeks. In retrospect, if I’d know what was going to happen, I wouldn’t have done it.”

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing,” noted Natasha. “It would help all of us if we did it more often.” She looked pointedly at Steve.

**Surrounded by fans, Tony is now dressed in a racing suit, adorned with his name, making his way through the crowd. There were the sounds of cars revving as Tony jumped over a barrier towards a car.**

**Back at the hotel, Hammer is still talking to Christine, explaining how he and Tony were not competitors, and with Tony out of the picture it had created tremendous opportunities for Hammer Industries. Christine’s eyes focused on the tv behind her showing Tony at the race track talking about what was the point of owning a race car if you didn’t drive it. Hammer wondered if Tony was going to drive in the race.**

Sam frowned. “Owning a race car is no reason to decide to drive it in a race. But… circumstances… the poisoning were all contributing factors here.”

“It did cause problems for me,” admitted Tony. “I wasn’t myself. Normally, I wouldn’t have done what I did if I hadn’t had to contend with the poisoning.”

**Pepper sat at her table, noticed Tony on TV at the race track and called Natalie to her. Natasha rushed to her side. Pepper questioned if she had known anything about Tony racing. She denied it. Pepper sighed. Tony couldn’t drive in the race. Natasha asked her how she could help her. Pepper asked her where Happy was. He was outside. Pepper ordered Natasha to get Happy.**

“This isn’t going to go well, is it?” sighed Bruce. “Pepper cannot get involved in this.”

“She does,” pointed out Rhodey. “Though, her actions were fuelled more by what happened on the race track than Tony actually driving.”

**Hammer’s interview with Christine was not going well. She was too focused on the TV screen. She bailed, claiming she needed to make a quick phone call. Hammer turned to look back at Tony’s face on the screen, sitting in the driver’s seat of the Stark Racing Car.**

**Tony revs the racing car as the crowd cheers on in the stands. The lights go green and the race begins. The cars skid off around the first few corners of the track.**

**A man dressed in orange overalls walks beside the track, toothpick in his mouth. It is Ivan Vanko.**

“Shit,” Sam swore. “We knew he was going to be there but…”

“He’s putting people’s lives in danger,” added Wanda. “Just to get to Stark. Exactly how I used to.” She looked a little green. “Having vendetta against people isn’t healthy. It fuels our reactions and we make terrible choices. Especially when we do not know the full story.” 

**Pepper watches the race with a worried expression on her face.**

Tony looked guilty. He really should have talked to Pepper.

**Tony was quite good with the race car, succeeding in overtaking the driver in front on a bend.**

“Have you driven race cars before?” wondered Clint.

“I drive my normal cars like a race car,” said Tony.

“You seem to have some skill,” shrugged Clint. “Not trying to insinuate anything, just curious if you’d driven a proper race car before now.”

“No, this was the first time,” said Tony, “and I was getting into it without any prior instruction. Seemed like a good idea at the time but it really wasn’t…” 

**Vanko pushed the barrier open as race cars fly past, walking confidently out onto the track, pulling off his protective helmet, and opens his jumpsuit to reveal the Arc Reactor contraption on his chest. The jacket burns away as the device powers up and two whips appear in his hands.**

“Not good,” winced Steve.

**A racing car storms around the corner. Vanko whips the front, sending the race car flying, crashing into the road and breaking apart. The audience gasped in horror, however, Hammer looks interested and doesn’t react to the shocking footage.**

“And, so begins Hammers nefarious plot…” sighed Tony. He’d known his rival had been watching the race as it went on.

“Did the drivers survive?” whispered Bruce, horrified.

“They did,” said Tony. “But with severe burns. Their lives were not the same after it… Even if I hadn’t been on the race track, this would still have happened to them. Vanko wanted my attention, I would have faced him. He was just fortunate I was stupid enough to get in a racing car myself without my suit accessible to me. It gave him the advantage.”

**Pepper saw Happy hold up the red briefcase and she rushed out to the car, getting into the back. Tires screech as Happy puts on the accelerator, sending the car through a barrier which led onto the track, driving the opposite way to the race cars.**

“What are they doing?” shouted Steve. “Are they insane?”

“They’re putting themselves in danger to get Tony the suit,” defended Rhodey. “They knew what would happen if Tony didn’t have it.”

“But Pepper didn’t need to put herself in danger…” repeated Steve. He glanced at Natasha.

“Oh, you’re saying I should have gone in Pepper’s place?” Natasha folded her arms across her chest. “They didn’t trust me, Steve. They didn’t know me. I was just an employee, an ordinary woman who didn’t have any other skill sets that they were aware of."

“She has a point,” Sam intoned.

“And my cover had to remain intact,” added Natasha. “I had to stay within Stark’s bubble.”

“But you could have helped…” whispered Steve.

“Doesn’t mean I should have,” reasoned Natasha. “Sometimes you have to consider other factors in making decisions, not just your own selfish interests.”

Steve frowned.

“I think you sometimes believe you are considering others in your decisions, Steve, but a lot of the time, you are thinking of just yourself.” Natasha’s words were harsh. “You may not see it now, but I think you will recognise it when you do.”

Steve didn’t look sure but remained quiet.

**On the race track, Tony turned the corner and his race car was cut at the front by Vanko’s whips before he was able to do anything to avoid it. The car spun in the air, landing hard on the ground with Tony upside down. Tony pulled off his helmet and looked to his right, seeing Vanko slowly approach him, whips by his side.**

**Behind Vanko, two other race cars steer around the corner, only to try and break at Vanko’s presence on the track. The race cars collided, bursting into flames with the two flinging into the air, the drivers still trapped in their seats.**

“They survived too?” clarified Bruce.

Tony nodded. “Alive, but with severe burns. Life-changing injuries. _Stark Industries_ did what it could to help with their treatment. Vanko has a lot to answer for.”

**The crowd around Hammer gasp, shocked by the continuing attacks on the drivers.**

**Pepper called for Happy to give her the case, and he moves the suitcase back towards her. She wants to know where the key is to unlock it. Happy tells her it is in his pocket. She yelled at him as a car approaches them and Happy successfully dodged it.**

Sam held his head in his hands. “They really should have thought this through before getting in the car and driving off.”

Tony felt guilty. Two of the people he cared about most were putting their lives in danger just to help him.

“You really should have had thumbprint recognition on that case,” observed Rhodey. “And made sure it reacts to all four of us.”

Tony swallowed. “Duly noted for next time.”

**Vanko sliced more of Tony’s car, right where his legs had been if Tony hadn’t already managed to extract himself from the wreckage. Tony came up behind him and whacks him around the head with a sheet of metal. Vanko attacks back, knocking the sheet of metal out of Tony’s hands with one of his whips. Tony falls back to the ground, scrambling backwards as Vanko continues to swing the whips, hoping to hit Tony with the deadly energies. One of the whips land directly between Tony’s legs.**

Everyone cringed.

“Near miss!” winced Sam. “Your reflexes are good, especially without the suit!”

“Having the suit was useful as it helped train me to react quicker than I had ever done before,” admitted Tony. “Now, without the suit, I am quite good at picking up on trouble and figuring out a way to help myself easily. Though it doesn’t always work out…”

Rhodey shook his head. “It doesn’t…” 

**Scrambling to his feet, Tony attempted to run for cover however the sparks from one of the whips caught Tony’s legs and he flew into the overturned racing car, landing back on his side on the floor.**

**Tony groaned and shook his head gently to avoid going unconsciousness as Vanko approached him.**

“He thinks he has you where he wants you…” muttered Steve, slight concern on his face.

**Petrol dribbled out of the car where Tony lay by and he saw Vanko’s reflection in the mirror. Swinging the whips as he moved closer, Vanko nearly succeeded in killing Tony. What saved him was a last-second move, jumping out the way as the whips hit the petrol and the car burst into flames. Tony brushed the small fire out on his arm.**

Sam breathed out a sigh of relief. “Lucky.”

“I’m just surviving by the skin of my teeth,” said Tony. “I need my suit otherwise I will always be on the retreat.”

**Vanko continued his slow walk towards him.**

**Around the corner came Happy with Pepper in the back seat. Tony jumped up onto the fence as Happy sounded the horn. Vanko was too slow to stop himself being rammed by the hood of the car, and he was pushed into the fence and pinned there. Vanko didn’t move.**

“Quick thinking on Happy’s part. Keep him pinned. He’s not going to cause much trouble!” breathed out Sam.

“I wouldn’t be so relieved if I were you,” commented Vision.

**Tony jumped down from the fence. “Are you okay?”**

**Happy nodded. “Yeah.”**

**Pepper panted in the back, panic, and fear evident on her face.**

**Tony asked:** **“Were you heading for me or him?”**

**“** **I was trying to scare him,” Happy defended himself.**

**“‘Cause I can’t tell!” retorted Tony.**

Rhodey held his head in his hands. “This is not the time to be arguing.”

“Just get in the suit, Tony. Or the car!” yelled Sam.

**Pepper yelled at him through the window.** **“Are you out of your mind?”**

“I think we can safely say there, yes he is,” responded Clint.

For once, Tony didn’t argue. Clint’s observations were correct.

**“** **Better security,” commented Tony.**

“Snarky comments were uncalled for Tony,” glared Rhodey. “I know you were mad, but it is not a reason to take it out on the people who came to help you.”

“Sorry. I know I should have been better,” admitted Tony.

**“** **Get in the car right now!” ordered Pepper, not taking no for answer.**

**“I was attacked. We need better security!” Tony replied.**

**Happy yelled at him to get in the car.**

**Tony continued to mutter as he walked behind the car. “** **You’re CEO. Better security measures. God, it’s embarrassing.”**

“And you could have done better?” Steve raised his eyebrows.

Tony wilted under the glare.

“Pepper was the one who always organised security when she was Tony’s PA,” revealed Rhodey. “There wasn’t much Tony did for himself, even after she became CEO.”

Tony sighed. “I was angry. Frustrated. As I said earlier, no amount of security would have stopped this from happening.”

**Vanko’s head moves.**

**Tony opened the door. “First vacation in two years.” And then the door was sliced in half as Vanko regained consciousness and attacked Tony again.**

**Pepper screamed and Happy reversed the Rolls Royce and then rammed it into Vanko again. Tony yelled at him to continue ramming Vanko as Pepper tried to tell Tony to take the red case. However, Happy’s continued use of reversing and forwarding the car made passing the suitcase problematic.**

Sam was getting itchy feet. “Too much going on. Keep him rammed against the fence long enough for Tony to get the suit!”

“Unfortunately, he was trying to knock Vanko unconscious,” explained Tony. “That would have given me time to get the suit on.” 

**An airbag popped out as Happy rammed Vanko again, stopping him from attempting to trap the man further.**

**Vanko sliced the car in half, right down the middle.**

“WHAT THE HELL?” Steve yelled.

White faces decorated the room as they continued to watch the scene unfold.

**Pepper was freaking out, still clutching the suitcase. Yelling at her to give him the case, Pepper threw the case and it landed on the ground at Tony’s feet.**

Bucky breathed out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank god. This has to be a good sign, hasn’t it?”

**Tony stepped on the case and it opened, becoming the beginnings of an Iron Man suit. Tony reached down with his hands and pulled the case up, extending it out into a fully-fledged suit as it worked its way around his body. An Arc Reactor settled to his chest piece, and the suit tightened its fastenings as the helmet covered Tony’s face.**

Sam marvelled at the spectacle. “That suit-up looks so cool.

“There were multiple videos of it on the internet,” grinned Tony.

“But they were not good quality, Mr. Stark,” added Vision. “No one was close enough to get a high-quality recording.”

“Unlike this movie which is showing it in good quality,” noted Clint. “It does show how far your technology has come in a short space of time.”

**The audience rushed towards the barriers as they watched Iron Man appear before them.**

**Planting a boot on the side of what remained of the car, Tony pushed it away from him sending it across the race track, away from Vanko. He aimed a repulsor at Vanko but the electrified whips stopped him and he was forced to step away as the whips cascaded across his chest piece leaving sparkling damage to it. Warnings flashed up on his interface and Tony acted quickly to raise both arms and fire two repulsor shots, one after the other at his attacker, causing Vanko to move out of the way.**

“He’s fast,” muttered Wanda, her fingers curled tightly in strands of her hair.

**Vanko twisted his whips in the air, the left hand one wrapping itself around the right arm of the suit, holding it in place. With the right whip flashed, it caught the armour on the left shoulder, attaching to Tony’s suit, giving Vanko the leverage he needed to physically pull Tony through the air, throwing him around as the crowd watched on.**

Bucky cringed. “I retract my statement it was a good sign you finally had the suit!”

“Just watch…” Tony said patiently.

**He landed on the hood of the car as Happy and Pepper watched on. Tony fell to the floor, got to his knees as the electricity crackled around his suit. He was on his knees, making no move. He had a plan. Then, with his right he wound the electrified whips around his arm and then his body, pulling himself closer to this attacker.**

Bruce grinned. “Oh, that is smart. Using his own tech against him to get yourself in range of him. Best way to beat him.”

Rhodey leaned in close to Tony, his voice lowered so the others couldn’t hear. “A pity it didn’t work later on when we were both caught in the whips.”

“If I recall correctly, we were being strangled at the time,” whispered Tony.

Rhodey conceded the point. “True.”

**Vanko swung the right whip again but it missed Tony by inches.**

**And then he was there. Punching the man in the stomach, doubling him over, and throwing him over his shoulder and onto the floor. The man was dazed and Tony bent down and tore the Arc Reactor out of the contraption.**

They let out a sigh of relief.

“The whips were defensive and offensive. They stopped anyone from getting close,” rationalised Natasha. “The only way to beat him was to get close, and to do that, you had to be entangled. Quick thinking, Tony.”

“I knew if I didn’t try something I’d lose. Vanko wanted to kill me. I wasn’t going to give him the chance to succeed if I could help it.” 

**The crowd cheered as security rushed onto the scene to haul Vanko up. Pepper and Happy watched with relief from the car, as Tony stared down at the Reactor in his hand. Hauled upwards, Vanko spat blood in Tony’s direction, laughing manically, informing Tony that he had lost.**

Steve looked confused. “But you won… How could you lose?”

Tony’s face was stony as he answered. “You’ll see.”

**Tony glanced at the Arc Reactor in his hand, analysing it with the interface before crushing it with his hand.**

**Back at the hotel, a small smile crossed Justin Hammer’s face.**

“Oh, his reaction does not bode well for the rest of this movie,” swallowed Sam.

Tony didn’t even need to make a comment. They’d find out soon enough.

**To be continued....**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> Tony still doesn't believe anyone would miss him if he died. It may take him a while to come to the realisation that he would be missed. 
> 
> Christine Everhart and Tony friendship? I think that is a possibility. They seemed quite civil to one another in Iron Man 2 as opposed to Iron Man 1, and I like the idea of Tony and Christine having mutual respect for one another and have a media deal in place in which she gets exclusive interviews from him about various subjects and happenings in his life. 
> 
> Bucky is beginning to doubt Steve, seeing that taking responsibility for your actions can sometimes be the better route rather than keep on running... 
> 
> I'm not sure how I handled the reactions to Vanko's attack on Tony. I did find it pretty hard to do, but again, I didn't want to just have them wincing or crying out all the time. I hope it works and isn't too repetitive? 
> 
> The next chapter... I may not post next week. The last few weeks have been so stressful for me that I need to relax a bit now. I cannot promise an update next week but if I can, I will, but please be aware you may be waiting 2 weeks for the next chapter. I hope it is next week, it just depends on how I am feeling. 
> 
> Thank you for your understanding, and I hope to post next week! 
> 
> Until next time, 
> 
> the-writer1988


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony meets Vanko in jail...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon everyone! **Please read this note, thank you!**
> 
> I did end up taking a week off from posting. I really needed to. I only finished this chapter today as well so an update last week was impossible. 
> 
> Thank you all for being understanding. Pretty much, events in my life are impinging upon my ability to write currently. Back in March when the UK first went into lockdown, I was classed as one of the people who was Extremely Vulnerable to Covid-19 due to the fact I've had a kidney transplant and am on immunosuppression drugs. From March until mid-September I was at home, shielding. I was protected by the UK Government. My job role is in healthcare, working directly with patients. I now have no choice but to return to work. The UK Government have no intention of reinstating shielding so people like me who are at high risk from serious complications from Covid-19 cannot remain at home again if we are of working-age. I cannot work from home. I have to go out to work now. In my role, I do wear full PPE (mask, gloves, apron, face-shield). This is a very scary time for me. Unless I go off sick, I have to go out to work. Anyone here in the UK will know our cases are rising. Some people may say 'go off sick!' but I cannot do that. It's difficult to explain but there is no protection on offer for people like me who are extremely vulnerable and have to still go out to work. We just have to rely on the extra measures currently in place in workplaces will keep us safe. All I am doing is going out to work and coming home. The only other place I will visit is the petrol station when I need petrol, and/or any medical situations such as routine hospital appointments or emergency dental appointments that I have to go to. 
> 
> As you know, when I first posted this story I mentioned my 4-year-old cat had died. I am still grieving for her. I'm not sure when the pain will go away. Last weekend I was also tested for Covid-19 as I had a change in taste. Thankfully, it was negative. 
> 
> I work in a very demanding job in healthcare. And I am very tired when I come from work as I'm not used to working now as I was out of it for 6 months. I'm too mentally tired to write when I come home at the moment. I may be able to write a few paragraphs but it depends. The bulk of these chapters are usually written on a Saturday or Sunday morning. I am pushing myself to get chapters out weekly. I want to continue posting weekly, and I fully intend to continue doing so. 
> 
> I also think it is important to stress how difficult it is to write these types of stories. Until you write them yourself you really do not know how hard they can be. I had a comment saying that they hope one day I will surprise them with 2 chapters at once. This will never happen. I want to stress this now. I will only ever post one chapter at a time. I'm also writing this series differently from other stories that have this same topic as I am trying to show character progression and growth at the same time. The characters are not just simply reacting to what they see on-screen but learning and having meaningful conversations. This is what makes it hard to write this as well. If I was simply writing them reacting to what was on-screen, potentially I could update more often, but that isn't the goal of this series at all. And it will not change. Each chapter will continue to have a lot of thought put into it, trying to grow the characters and progress them. 
> 
> Yes, it does mean I probably won't get to Endgame until the end of next year but the journey will be worth it in the end. 
> 
> I hope you can all understand this and will continue to support this series, no matter how long it takes me to write it. I do not intend to stop writing this series. I'm enjoying it far too much to abandon it. 
> 
> Thank you. And, please, enjoy the next chapter!

**Understanding the Real Hero: Iron Man 2**

**Four**

**Tony walked with a French Police Officer down a darkened corridor, conversing in French.**

“How many languages do you speak?” asked Sam.

“A few,” answered Tony. “I had to learn various languages to be able to speak to foreign investors or collaborators. Though I could have used a translator, it just made sense to learn the languages myself. At least I knew what the conversation was then. You could be agreeing to things you didn’t really know was the true translation. You had to rely on other people that they were telling the truth.”

“That’s smart,” nodded Bucky. “You’re a shrewd businessman. You know how to work the system. Knowing other languages would be an advantage to you.”

Tony grinned. “It was. Especially when they tried speaking in another language to their friends whilst in the meeting and I then revealed that I still understood them, despite their change of language. It was fun.”

“But you don’t know Latin…” hinted Natasha, teasing him.

“It’s not one I would need to speak in, is it?” retorted Tony.

“No, but I could speak it and you wouldn’t know what I said.”

Tony grumbled under his breath. Natasha had spoken to him in that language before and he hadn’t understood it. He’d had to rely on her words that she had truly insulted him. _I must remember to learn and understand Latin. Might come in useful one day._

**He was told they had run the man’s prints but nothing had come back, not even a name. Tony asked where they were going and the officer pointed him towards a cell. They informed him they were not sure if he spoke English as he hadn’t said a word since arriving.**

“I suspect Vanko knew I would want to speak to him,” noted Tony. “He didn’t need to say anything. Attacking me piqued my interest in wanting to talk to him further.”

**Tony wanted five minutes with the prisoner. The cell door opened and he stepped inside, his Arc Reactor glowing beneath his shirt.**

**Vanko sat with his back to the door, stripped of everything save for a pair of white boxers. His hands were in cuffs in front of him.**

“I know he is a criminal…” said Steve, slowly and carefully, “but shouldn’t they be treating him in more humane conditions?”

Sam groaned. “I can’t believe you just said that, Steve.”

“Why not?” Steve was genuinely surprised by Sam’s reaction. “It reminds me of the Raft.”

“Every country deal with criminals differently, Steve,” explained Sam. “He’s dangerous. I know you do not agree with the Raft, but for some people – especially _him_ – he’s dangerous enough to be able to do anything.”

“They hadn’t processed him yet,” admitted Tony. “I arrived before they had finished the processing and they left him there whilst they spoke to me as Vanko wasn’t talking.”

“There are processes that need to be followed, Steve,” added Sam, watching his friend carefully. “He’ll be treated fairly regardless of his crimes.”

Steve frowned but let it go. “You guys were treated much worse though.”

“What happened to us was unfortunate,” retorted Sam. “We broke the law.”

“A law we disagreed with and never agreed to follow,” pointed out Steve.

“And the Raft was never meant to hold Avengers,” said Tony. “Ross went over the committee to imprison you there.”

“But he’s still in position,” grouched Steve.

“Yes, but with a lot less power than he used to have,” revealed Tony.

Natasha looked completive. “Steve, you just said that you disagreed with the law, meaning the Accords, right?”

Steve nodded.

“But disagreeing with them and not signing them didn’t mean you had the right to carry on as you were.” Natasha pointed out, watching Steve carefully.

“In my view, we didn’t have to follow the Accords because we never signed them,” stated Steve.

Tony rolled his eyes.

“You were breaking international law. It doesn’t matter if you never signed them. They were ratified as law. The only thing you could legally do was what Clint did, and retire,” continued Natasha.

“You switched sides though,” stated Steve.

Natasha shrugged. “Only because I knew you were never going to stop. If Tony had been able to barter for me to stay, I wouldn’t have joined you after the airport. I had no choice. I broke the terms of the Accords. I was lucky Tony let me leave. Tony was lucky himself he didn’t get imprisoned for allowing me to escape.”

“Ross wouldn’t have done that to Stark,” interjected Clint. “He’s Ross’ favourite Avenger.”

Tony snorted. “On the contrary, he hates me more than he hates the rest of you.” He caught Bruce’s expression. “Though I could be second on the list…”

“Most likely,” agreed Bruce.

Tony sighed. “Look, getting back to the point, Vanko’s treatment in prison was in line with the current rules and regulations. He doesn’t need defending.”

Steve nodded. “I guess you’re right, Tony. I think I took it too personally based on when I broke the others out of the Raft.”

Tony could understand. The Raft conditions hadn’t been adequate or fit for use. Ross had gone too far in using the Raft to house the rogue Avengers, but Tony’s hands had been tied. The only thing he could do was allow them to escape. When the opportunity had presented itself he had made certain they had.

**Tony strode forward, hands in his pockets. “Pretty decent tech. Cycles per second were a little low. You could have doubled up your rotations. You focused the repulsor energy through ionised plasma channels. It’s effective. Not very efficient. But it’s a passable knock-off. I don’t get it. A little fine-tuning you could have made a solid pay check.”**

Rhodey chuckled. “Trust you to get straight into it, assessing his tech.”

“And then give him career advice,” noted Sam. 

**Tony sat on the bench, leaning forward. His back was to Vanko. “You could have sold it to North Korea, China, Iran, or gone onto the black market. You look like you got friends in low places.” He glanced up and found Vanko looking at him.**

**“** **You come from a family of thieves and butchers. And now, like all guilty men, you try to rewrite your own history. And you forget all the lives the Stark family has destroyed.”**

“But you’ve also saved lives,” stated Wanda. “You turned your life around.”

“Every action we take has causality and effect,” said Vision. “What may save lives can equally destroy another life.”

“Like Zemo,” muttered Steve, remembering the man who had succeeded in splitting the Avengers apart. “We saved Sokovia but his life was destroyed.”

**Tony wasn’t buying it. “** **Speaking of thieves, where did you get this design?”**

**“** **My father. Anton Vanko.” Surprisingly, Vanko answered.**

“Oh, he’s talking now, is he?” commented Clint.

“He knew I wouldn’t be able to resist seeing him,” shrugged Tony. “I walked right into it.”

**“** **Well, I’ve never heard of him.”**

**Vanko dropped his gaze briefly to Tony’s Arc Reactor. “** **My father is the reason you’re alive.”**

Sam frowned. “Not strictly true. His father may have collaborated on the designs but he isn’t the sole reason Tony is alive.”

“My father didn’t take credit from others,” explained Tony, leaning back in his seat. “Vanko’s father assisted in the design but he wasn’t a sole creator of it.”

“But his name was on the plans though,” remembered Bucky. “We saw at the start his father’s name was on it.”

“Correct,” said Tony, “it was a collaborative project between the two of them. Further research led me to believe my father had done the majority of the designing himself. Vanko’s contributions were minimal but my father still gave credit when he felt it was justified.” He hesitated, unsure whether to continue further.

“What is it?” pressed Wanda, noticing his reluctance.

“Anton Vanko’s history will be revealed… I’m sure,” admitted Tony. “If Anton Vanko hadn’t done what he did, he and Ivan Vanko would have had a better quality of life than they ended up living.”

It was true after all. Ivan’s fate had been bound by his father’s reckless choices. Tony had had nothing to do with it. Yes, Howard Stark had deported Anton Vanko from the United States but the evidence had been clear in supporting Vanko’s duplicity. 

**“** **The reason I’m alive is ‘cause you had a shot, you took it, you missed,” disagreed Tony.**

**“** **Did I? If you can make God bleed, the people will cease to believe in him.”**

“That is true,” said Sam. “People look to Tony as a hero. If you see that he is not invincible, easily breakable, they lose their ability to believe in him. An injury can do more damage than death ever could. Even a small bit of blood can prove an enemy is not undefeatable. You just have to find their weak link.”

**“And there will be blood in the water. And the sharks will come. The truth, all I have to do is sit here and watch as the world will consume you.” Vanko sounded so confident about his assessment of Tony.**

Tony fidgeted in his seat. “I did fall apart. I made things worse for myself by not trying to help myself or talk to others. All he needed to do was sit there… and I would be consumed. Everything I did was self-destructive. If I’d died then, the world wouldn’t have mourned me. Not that I believe they would now… but Vanko was right. He didn’t have to do anything more. He’d already proven others could recreate my technology.”

“But would he have been successful if he hadn’t had the original designs?” enquired Bruce. “Vanko was only successful because he had the original blueprints. He has the advantage over everyone else who attempted to recreate the Iron Man suits.”

**Tony sniped back. “** **Where will you be watching the world consume me from? That’s right. A prison cell. I’ll send you a bar of soap.” He stood up to leave, knowing his five minutes were nearly up.**

**As Tony walked away, Vanko got in the last word. “Hey, Tony. Before you go, palladium in the chest, painful way to die.”**

Steve paled. “He knew. How?”

“The answer is obvious,” noted Natasha. “Vanko created an Arc Reactor…”

“Oh.” Steve felt a bit embarrassed. “Of course. He knew what materials were in it.”

“And, no matter how much I tried to hide it, people were aware I had an Arc Reactor in my chest. Vanko made an educated guess,” added Tony. “He knew the Palladium was a horrible way to die.”

**Tony knocked on the cell door to be let out and stepped through when it opened.**

**The scene changed to Senator Stern on TV, slating Tony for telling the world that the suits wouldn’t exist for another five to ten years, and yet Monaco had proven that someone else was capable of harnessing the same technology as Tony.**

“HYRDA seemed to change their plans for me on a regular basis, didn’t they?” mused Tony.

Bucky nodded. “They did. One minute it was to kill you, the next to leave you be… It all depended on how much of a threat you were to them at the time. I think they quite enjoyed you were managing to facilitate your own downfall. Not that I was really awake much during this period… I do have fuzzy memories… But I know they were hoping something would fall into their favour.”

Tony grimaced. “It nearly did.” If SHIELD hadn’t intervened he would have been dead.

**It was being broadcast mid-flight on Tony and Pepper’s private flight.**

**Tony muted the TV and told Pepper he should be getting a medal instead. He walked in, carrying a plate with a cover over it. He sat opposite Pepper and lifted the cover off, placing utensils by the side of it.**

Thor’s face crinkled. “Doesn’t look edible…” He glanced at Tony. “Were you never taught to cook friend Stark?”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Were you, Prince of Asgard?” he retorted.

“No, but Jane taught me a few things when I was with her.”

“I’m sure I would have learned eventually,” replied Tony. “Pepper’s tried her best to domesticate me. It hasn’t always been successful… But she’s trying. Thor, you have to remember my father was rich. We hired people to do it for us. Like you had on Asgard, I’m sure. But you were fortunate you were able to live a normal life with Jane for a while where you could pick up those skills. I’ve never had that type of life.”

“Do you want it?” asked Steve. “The domestic life? I remember a conversation we had a few years ago. You mentioned about buying Pepper a farm…?”

Tony sighed, his shoulders drooping. “I’d love to. Get away from all this… But I can’t. I have too much responsibility. I cannot turn my back on the world. If I took that route, I’d have to retire… And, I cannot knowingly do that at present.”

Steve lowered his gaze. “You’ll get it one day Tony.”

Tony snorted. “I’m pretty sure if it ever happened something would come along and ruin it for me and I’d be pulled back into the field.”

Steve’s gaze hardened. “It won’t. I won’t let it. I prom-”

Raising a hand, Tony interrupted him from finishing his sentence. “Do not say those words, Rogers. We both know a promise won’t stop you from breaking it. If I’m really needed no promise you make now can change the fact, you’d still come to call on me for help.”

“Tony-” started Steve. He couldn’t deny it. “If it meant saving the world yes, I would! There would have to be exceptional circumstances!”

Tony folded his arms across his chest. “Then there is already no point in you trying to make a promise saying you wouldn’t let it be ruined. You’ve already admitted you’d break it in exceptional circumstances!”

“What if you were our only hope and the world was doomed without you?” asked Wanda quietly.

Tony paused. “I’d probably help…”

“It would only ever be world-ending situations, Tony,” added Steve. “I wouldn’t bring you out of retirement for simple missions. It would have to be a very dire situation for me to call you out of retirement. That’s why you can have my word.”

“And what if I was still reluctant to help?” asked Tony quietly. “Regardless of the consequences?”

Steve pursued his lips. “I wouldn’t push it.”

Tony nodded, contemplating Steve’s words and the aforementioned promise. 

**Pepper eyed it suspiciously. “What is that?”**

**Tony looked like it was obvious. “This is your in-flight meal.”**

**“** **Did you just make that?” Pepper was surprised, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her lips.**

“At least she appreciated the gesture, in a way,” commented Rhodey. “Though I still wouldn’t touch it myself.”

**“** **Yeah. Where do you think I’ve been for three hours?” asked Tony. Everyone knew his abilities in the kitchen were non-existent.**

**A worried look crossed Pepper’s face. “Tony, what are you not telling me?”**

“She’s good at reading you,” smiled Natasha. “You should have told her the truth then.”

Tony bowed his head. “Looking back I should have done. But I didn’t want to hurt her.”

Rhodey rubbed him on the shoulder. “I know you know this and probably do not want to hear it but you hurt her more by acting out and keeping her in the dark. I know you wanted to push people away…”

“But it wasn’t the right thing to do, I know,” finished Tony.

**Pepper knew him too well. He could be honest with her.** **“I don’t want to go home. At all. Let’s cancel my birthday party and… We’re in Europe. Let’s go to Venice, Cipriani. Remember?”**

“I tried to be honest,” said Tony, “but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the whole truth.”

**She smiled. “** **Oh, yes.”**

**“** **It’s a great place to be healthy,” he continued, trying to convince her.**

**Pepper was reluctant.** **“I don’t think this is the right time. We’re in kind of a mess.”**

“She’s right,” observed Sam. “Too much is going on for you to run away from your problems right now on one last holiday.”

**“** **Yeah, but maybe that’s why it’s the best time. ‘Cause then we can…” He was trying to convince her why it was a good idea.**

Tony sighed. “I think a part of me hoped she’d take it.”

Rhodey smiled gently. “Pepper is too sensible for that.”

Tony snorted, laughing slightly. “I know that now!”

**As much as Pepper wanted to, she knew her duties couldn’t wait.** **“Well, I think as the CEO I need to show up.”**

**“** **As CEO, you are entitled to a leave,” suggested Tony.**

**“** **A leave?” Pepper asked dubiously.**

**“** **A company retreat,” added Tony.**

“She’s just become CEO and you’re trying to convince her to take a break?” Bruce shook his head. “Your timing is really bad.”

“I was trying to be romantic,” defended Tony, “though it didn’t really work well.”

**She wasn’t thrilled with the idea. “** **A retreat? During a time like this?”**

**Tony knew he had lost a losing battle. “** **Just a ride. Well, I’m just saying, to recharge our batteries and figure it all out.”**

**“** **Not everybody runs on batteries, Tony,” she joked, both of them slightly smiling at the other.**

“Batteries are the wrong word to describe you, Tones,” said Rhodey. “You run on coffee. And alcohol.”

“Alcohol not so much. Coffee yes,” amended Tony. “Coffee was always my go-to drink if I didn’t want to sleep which was most of the time.”

**Vanko sat in his cell. A guard pushed a tray of food into his cell. There was a note hidden under the cup which read in French, ‘enjoy the potatoes’. Vanko lifted the ‘potatoes’ up. It was not real mashed potato. A bomb was hidden within it with a timer set at 35 seconds. Another prisoner entered his cell, one who could pass for Vanko. They shared the same serial number on their prison garb.**

Bucky swallowed, already guessing the plan. “The other prisoner has no idea he’s supposed to die in Vanko’s place?”

Rhodey’s face was stern. “No, he didn’t. He just assumed he’d pass for Vanko and live out his prison sentence. He was misled.” 

**Vanko knocked the man out, and a passing officer placed the key to the cell through the slit in the door.**

“Did we ever find out if those officers assisting Vanko escape were genuine?” asked Natasha, glancing at Tony for clarification.

“We did. They were real officers but had taken bribes to assist in ensuring Vanko’s escape,” explained Tony. “A lot of these details were kept in sealed folders and never released to the public. The officers were identified and put on trial. Subsequently, they received a prison sentence. I think they may still be in prison now…” 

**Planting the bomb on the wall, he pressed the red button, starting the countdown, grabbed the key, and unlocked the door to his cell.**

**He made his way down the hallway, attacking the prison officer who confronted him, snapping his neck, and then the bomb exploded in his cell, setting off an alarm. Vanko escaped down a set of stairs only to see officers at the bottom. He attempted to make his way back up but two other officers grabbed him and placed a bag over his head, dragging him back down the stairs. They smuggled him into a van outside the building and shut the doors.**

“Well planned,” praised Steve, not liking the turning of events. “Everything was set up and ready to go. There would be minimal security footage too?”

“If I recall correctly all security feeds inside the prison at the time had been disrupted,” confirmed Vision. “No one could be traced in relation to the incident and it was assumed Vanko had died in his cell. The decoy’s body was heavily mutilated following the blast and he was identified as Ivan Vanko, purely by the rags of his prison overalls with the number on it.”

Sam’s eyes crinkled, a hard expression on his face. “No way to test his DNA either if his body was that ruined. They could only assume based on the evidence at hand.”

**When the doors opened again, he was in an airport hanger. At some point in the journey, he had been cuffed. Vanko stepped out, eyeing the white jet at the back. Situated in front of the jet with a round table and two chairs was Justin Hammer, eating a meal.**

**Hammer was pleased to see him, telling the guards to remove the handcuffs. He told Vanko he was a big fan of his and introduced himself. He’d like to do business with Vanko, pointing for the man to sit. The butler placed a plateful of food in front of Vanko, and Hammer continued to speak about where the food came from before abruptly moving the conversation onto Tony Stark.**

**_“_ ** **What I saw you do to Tony Stark on that track, how you stepped up to him in front of God and everybody that was… Wow. You spoke to me with what you did. And I know that you knew that I’d be listening. This is why I couldn’t bear to have you shipped off to God knows where. It would have been such a waste of talent. But if I might make a suggestion, you know, you don’t just go and try to kill the guy. I think, if I may, you go after his legacy. That’s what you kill. You and me, we are a lot alike in a lot of ways. The only difference between you and I is that I have resources. I think, if I may, you need my resources. Someone behind you, a benefactor. I’d like to be that guy.”**

“He’s willing to throw everything he’s worked for away just to try to ruin you?” Bruce shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

“Hammer wanted to be the leading expert in innovation. He could only do it if I was permanently out of the picture. Hammer didn’t know I was dying. If he’d waited a few months or even weeks I would have died. He could have had everything and not had to lift a finger to do it,” advised Tony.

**Vanko laughed, his gold and silver teeth showing. He started to speak in Russian. Hammer couldn’t understand what he was saying. Hammer wasn’t sure if Vanko could speak English and offered a translator. Vanko reverted to English and they clinked bottle and glass together as they celebrating the formation of their new partnership.**

**Vanko wanted his bird. Hammer promised to get him a bird. He was corrected when Vanko insisted on it being _his_ bird. Hammer finally realised it was a bird Vanko meant back home in Russia. **

“He’s going to get the wrong bird, isn’t he?” groaned Clint.

Natasha nodded. “This partnership didn’t exactly work out for the best. Vanko had his own motives. Hammer was just a liability and a means to get his own way. Hammer thought he was the one in charge but he never was.”

**Pepper and Natasha are back in Malibu, both taking phone calls at the same time. Pepper was being interviewed on television regarding the events on Monaco and whether Tony Stark could still protect the people despite his continuing erratic behaviour. Pepper defended Tony as Rhodey walked in, asking them where Tony was. Natasha said Tony didn’t want to be disturbed but Pepper covered the mouthpiece with her hand and told Rhodey, Tony was downstairs.**

“You didn’t want Rhodey to come and see me?” asked Tony, glancing at Natasha.

“You had said you didn’t want to be disturbed…” the spy pointed out.

“I should have clarified. The rules do not apply to Rhodey. Ever. He’s allowed to disturb me whenever he wants. Unless Pepper and I -”

“Don’t say it!” yelled Rhodey.

Tony chuckled. “I wasn’t going to say what you assumed I was.”

Rhodey scrutinised him. “Really?”

Tony grinned.

Rhodey groaned. “I fell right into that one.” 

**Tony was sitting in his rolls Royce, a holographic display projected in front of him. Tony was querying about Anton Vanko and JARVIS had compiled a small report for him.**

**“** **Query complete sir. Anton Vanko was a Soviet physicist who defected to the United States in 1963. However, he was accused of espionage and was deported in 1967. His son, Ivan, who is also a physicist, was convicted of selling Soviet-era weapons-grade plutonium to Pakistan and served 15 years in Kopeisk prison. No further records exist.”**

“And there you are. Why Anton Vanko was deported,” said Tony. “Limited information but the evidence was uncovered he was planning on selling American-designed weapons to his true masters – the Russians.”

“But they both dropped off the radar though,” frowned Sam. “If no other records existed…”

“They did. If things had been different…” mused Tony, “…perhaps Anton Vanko’s son would have been one of my best friends growing up. Who knows.”

“He wasn’t much older than you, was he?” asked Wanda quietly.

Tony shook his head. “No. Ivan Vanko was two years older. I believe his mother was pregnant with him when the family was deported.” 

It was strange to consider one of his enemies could have been one of his best friends if things had gone differently. It was not out of the question he and Ivan could have been friends. If their fathers had remained working together, the potential for collaboration between the offspring of two well-renowned physicists would have been expected.

**Rhodey entered the workshop and immediately started to lecture his friend. He’d had enough of Tony’s antics. “Tony, you gotta get upstairs and get on top of this situation right now. Listen. I’ve been on the phone with the National Guard all day, trying to talk them out of rolling tanks up the PCH, knocking down your front door and taking these. They’re gonna take your suits, Tony, okay? They’re sick of the games. You said nobody else would possess this technology for 20 years. Well, guess what? Somebody else had it yesterday. It’s not theoretical anymore.” Noticing Tony wasn’t paying attention, Rhodey walked over to the car. “Are you listening to me?” Rhodey placed his hand on Tony’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”**

Rhodey bowed his head. “I just stormed in, not realising something was wrong with him. Tony had hidden it so well from us. I just assumed he was acting out because he could.”

“Palladium poisoning… not great,” winced Tony.

“This was the first time I realised he was not well,” admitted Rhodey. “I wish I had spotted it sooner.”

“I was very good at hiding my symptoms,” admitted Tony. “I didn’t want anyone to know.”

Steve leaned forward in his seat. “What symptoms did you have?”

“A range of them…” Tony counted off his fingers. “Skin reaction, migraines, my eyes burned, confusion at times, dizziness, metal taste in my mouth, nerve pain, muscle cramps, depression, difficulty in breathing sometimes… There is more. My kidney function was dropping. Liver disease increased. I couldn’t sleep and I had heart palpitations. My body couldn’t cope and was shutting down.”

“I’m sorry you went through that,” said Steve quietly.

“Not your fault… You were still in ice after all.” Tony rubbed a weary hand down his face. “A lot of my actions here were a direct result of my symptoms. I just… couldn’t control myself.”

“But when you found a replacement for palladium…” intoned Natasha, smiling gently.

“All my symptoms eased within the first hour. My kidney function returned to more or less normal values. They were able to recover and retain the majority of their function. The liver did as well.” Tony shook his head. “Everything you see here in this movie is my illness. I was dying. I had nothing left to lose.” 

They all shared a knowing glance with each other.

Clint sighed, his shoulders dropping. “I can understand why. I still do not like you… but I can understand.”

Tony smiled gratefully at the archer.

Steve pursed his lips. “I’m beginning to think we’ve all misjudged you harshly.”

“Perhaps you have… Only time will tell if you did,” finished Tony.

**“Let’s go.” Tony moved to slip out of the passenger side of the car and immediately staggered on his feet. Rhodey rushed round to support him.**

**“Hey, man. Hey, hey! You all right?”**

**“** **Yeah, I should get to my desk,” he winched as Rhodey helped to his chair. “See that cigar box?”**

**Rhodey opened the box.** **“Yeah.”**

**“** **It’s palladium,” explained Tony. He grunted as he removed the Arc Reactor from his chest. The palladium was smoking.**

**“** **Is that supposed to be smoking?”**

“Definitely not,” observed Bruce. “Why didn’t you try to get him help after this? You knew the extent of how unwell he was!”

Rhodey fidgeted in his seat. “I also know Tony. He won’t accept help. If I sent doctors round to see him, he wouldn’t even let them examine him. It would go nowhere. I’ve known Tony for years. I know how he will react in certain situations, and what to do. Intervening on his behalf was not going to work, despite my best intentions.”

“He’s right,” nodded Tony. “I’d have sent them away without allowing them to examine me. The outcome would have still been the same.”

“You are way too stubborn, Stark,” sighed Bruce.

Tony couldn’t help but allow his lips to twitch upwards in amusement.

**Tony held the Arc Reactor in his hand. “If you must know, it’s neutron damage. It’s from the reactor wall.”**

**Rhodey took the Reactor and pulled out the smoking piece of palladium. Again, like the one before, had rusted away. “You had this in your body?” asked Rhodey as he inserted the new piece of palladium in. He noticed a pattern on Tony’s neck. “And how about that high-tech crossword puzzle on your neck?”**

“Skin reaction,” whispered Wanda. “One of the signs.”

Steve felt sad Tony didn’t feel he could ask for help. _Maybe I need to put my grievances aside and think better of Tony. Maybe then he will feel he can trust us?_ The Captain knew it was a lot to do but if the outcome was a better relationship within the team, wouldn’t it be worth it in the end?

**On the Engineer’s neck was a zig-zagged pattern that seemed to follow Tony’s veins. Tony took the Reactor back and placed it back in his chest.** **“Road rash. Thank you.” He sighed, and the Arc Reactor light flickered on. He took a bottle and drank from it, glancing back over his shoulder to see Rhodey watching him. “What are you looking at?”**

**Rhodey’s face was full of concern.** **“I’m looking at you. You wanna do this whole lone gunslinger act and it’s unnecessary. You don’t have to do this alone.”**

**“** **You know, I wish I could believe that. I really do. But you’ve gotta trust me. Contrary to popular belief, I know exactly what I’m doing.”**

**Rhodey wasn’t sure he could believe Tony’s assertions.**

“I believed you had a solution to your problems. Not a way to make them worse.” Rhodey wasn’t looking forward to seeing the party birthday antics.

Tony looked at him. “My intention was to make you believe that whilst I threw myself underneath a bus and tore my reputation to shreds, allowing you, Pepper, and Happy to get the inheritance you all deserved.”

“That’s where your fortune would have gone?” asked Steve.

“Yep. I had no heirs. Rhodey would have been given a suit plus a quarter of my fortune and one of my properties, plus a part of my car collection. Happy would have received a quarter too as well as another one of my properties. Pepper would have been bequeathed the Malibu mansion, plus another quarter of my fortune, as well as the rest of my car collection and all my inventions and Iron Man suits. The rest of the money would have been split to various charitable causes. My Will had already been written up. The US Government, nor SHIELD or HYDRA for that matter, would have received anything from me. I had everything sorted to ensure a smooth transition in the event of my death.”

“You really thought things through, didn’t you?” sighed Natasha. She was feeling more and more ashamed that she had written the report of Tony the way she had.

“Despite appearances, I make sure to look after the people who care about me. I wanted Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy to be well-looked after, once I was gone,” said Tony. 

“I think we can all recognise it now, Tony,” agreed Steve softly.

**Over in Queens, New York, at Hammer Industries, a black limousine arrived at the entrance. Inside Hammer escorts Vanko through his production house, telling him this is where he could work in peace. Vanko had been registered officially dead so no one would come looking for him. Hammer showed him a few prototype suits he had been working on and he was very excited about them and they were combat-ready, however, he may have done a few miscalculations. He was enthusiastic. He told Vanko to look around.**

**Vanko put on a pair of glasses and proceeded to hack into Hammer Industries software, despite Hammer’s instance on being able to generate encrypted passwords. In Vanko’s eyes, the software was shit.**

Sam snorted. “I really worry that Hammer was the weapon’s contractor for the US government if his servers could be easily hacked.”

“You’re not wrong,” grinned Rhodey. “I had to pretend to like the guy and take him seriously, all because my bosses approved of him. On the surface, his technology looked good. In practice… they didn’t operate well… at all.”

**Hammer admitted he was good, and he was going to show Vanko where he was going to be primarily working, however, Vanko was more interested in the suits, pulling up a ladder and inspecting the first one as Hammer rattled off cost numbers. Vanko pulled the head off one of them. Hammer was having difficulty finding volunteers for the suits.**

**Vanko asked him what he wanted the suits to do.**

**Hammer’s ambitious motives soon became clear.** **“** **Well, long term, I want them to put me in the Pentagon for the next 25 years. I want to make Iron Man look like an antique. I wanna go to that Stark Expo, I wanna take a dump in Tony Stark’s front yard. You know what I’m talking about?”**

“Hammer has issues.” Tony rolled his eyes. “He royally screwed that ambition up when he partnered himself with Vanko.”

**It seemed right up Vanko’s alley. “I can do that. No problem.”**

**Pleased, Hammer celebrated. “Yeah? Hey, fabulous! I love it. Hey, this is our guy. Didn’t I tell you? I had a feeling.”**

Natasha shook her head in amusement. “He really underestimated Vanko. Still, at least he didn’t get too far into his Pentagon dream. I’m sure HYDRA would have recruited him at some point. Justin Hammer was far more controllable than Tony ever has been.”

**An aerial shot of Stark’s Mansion at night is seen before it transitions to a shot of Tony’s bare chest. The Arc Reactor glowed in the centre of his chest. Hard blue veins spread out like creeping roots in all directions across his chest from the Reactor. It was slowly poisoning him. On a holographic screen, it showed the palladium concentration was at 89%.**

“How long do you think you had left?” swallowed Bruce, his eyes wide at seeing the extensive skin reaction to the poisoning.

Tony shrugged. “About a week. It was moving too fast for me to try to save myself. I’d already tried everything I could think of. The only way to stop it was to remove the Arc Reactor permanently but that would kill me anyway with the shrapnel in my heart.”

“Double-edged sword,” muttered Bucky.

**Natasha walked in, carrying a box of watches. “Do you know which watch you’d like to wear tonight, Mr. Stark?”**

**He buttoned up his shirt as the watches were placed on the shelf. Natasha started to pour wine out. “I’ll give them a look. I should cancel the party.”**

**Natasha agreed. “Probably.”**

“You could have stopped him…” breathed Rhodey.

Natasha stilled.

**Tony tried to find the right words. “Yeah. ‘Cause it’s…”**

**“Ill-timed,” suggested Natasha.**

**Tony nodded. “Right, sends the wrong message.”**

**Natasha handed him his drink. “Inappropriate.” He took a sip and she queried whether it was dirty enough for him.**

Steve shuddered. “Are you two flirting?”

“I had my orders, Steve. Please remember that.”

**Tony gave her instructions for which watches he wanted to examine and she brought the box over to him. She sat on the arm of the chair, smiled softly and started to help cover the bruise on the side of his face with a bit of make-up.**

**He watched her intently. “I gotta say it. It’s hard to get a read on you. Where are you from?”**

**Natasha gave the obvious answer. “Legal.”**

Clint snorted. “Did you suspect her?”

Tony shook his head. “Not really.”

**Tony glanced up at her as he sat back. “Can I ask you a question, hypothetically? Bit odd.” He started to rub his forehead. “If this was your last birthday party you were ever gonna have, how would you celebrate it?”**

Rhodey shot Natasha a glare. “You could have stopped him.”

Natasha maintained her position, not daring to look at Rhodey.

**She gave him the answer she knew he most wanted to hear. “I’d do whatever I wanted to do with whoever I wanted to do it with.” She got up and left as Tony finished his drink.**

Rhodey nearly leapt to his feet. “You gave him the answer he wanted to hear, not the one he should have been given!”

Natasha raised her hands. “I couldn’t say anything else! I knew his reputation. I had a mission I had to complete.”

“Even if it meant sleeping with a dying man?” Rhodey looked disgusted.

Natasha lowered her gaze. “If that was what Tony wanted, I would have slept with him. I was prepared to do so. I thought he would. I didn’t expect him to go ahead with the party instead!”

“Rhodey… I would have gone ahead with the party anyway. It didn’t matter what people said to me. The only person I wanted was Pepper and that wasn’t going to happen. I’d already tried to just spend my birthday with her. Maybe if I had been able to take her away, I may have been truthful about what was really going on,” said Tony, keeping his gaze on his friend. “Natasha did what she thought was right. If I hadn’t been ill, I probably would have slept with her. I did the exact opposite of what she hoped I might do.”

“It doesn’t excuse the fact she tried to seduce you!” Rhodey bit back.

“I know. And I’m sorry for it. But we cannot change what happened. We can only learn from our mistakes!” retorted Natasha.

“Natasha’s right,” interrupted Steve. “We’ve all made mistakes.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like what you did,” shot back Rhodey, anger still evident in his voice.

“I know,” sighed Natasha. “All I can do is apologise and hope one day you can forgive me.”

Rhodey didn’t answer.

“Am I the only one feeling slightly uncomfortable now?” queried Sam.

There was a round of agreement from the others before they all decided to move onto the next part of the movie.

**To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> Steve really doesn't like the Raft and he shouldn't have tried to feel any sympathy for Vanko's prison situation. 
> 
> I said I would cover more of Tony's symptoms due to the poisoning and how it may have affected him. This is a subject that will be continued to be brought up in future chapters. 
> 
> Steve is beginning to see Tony in a different light which shows his progress from the previous chapters in this story and the last story. 
> 
> The last scene... I think Natasha had the chance to stop the party from going ahead. Rhodey isn't happy Natasha could have prevented the party and gave Tony the ammunition he needed to go ahead with the party. She also would have slept with Tony if he had asked it of her. 
> 
> The next chapter should be posted next week, and it will cover Tony's birthday party. 
> 
> Until next time, 
> 
> the-writer1988


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's birthday party is proven to be a disaster...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> Thank you so much for the support you have all given me after my long note at the start of the last chapter. Thank you for being understanding and commenting too, helping me feel reassured that none of you will begrudge me if I need to step away for a few weeks. This is why I will take breaks in between the stories, to give me the break I need. When I finish this story I may not post the next one until January 2021, but we will see how I feel and how much progress I may have made on it. I think this story will be finished by the end of November, potentially before. 
> 
> This chapter is shorter than usual, mainly because I wanted to keep this chapter just to show Tony's birthday party. I feel this is an important event that needs to have its own chapter which is why this chapter it shorter than the rest. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it!

**Understanding the Real Hero: Iron Man 2**

**Five**

**Tony is now in the Iron Man suit, DJing at his own party amongst a crowd of men and women. He was drunk, by the obvious silly dancing, he was doing in the suit. Pepper walks in, a frown on her face.**

“This is going to be so embarrassing to watch,” moaned Tony. He regretted how his birthday party had turned out. “I just want to ask you all not to judge me too harshly here. I know it’s a lot to ask…”

Wanda reached across Rhodey and patted his arm. “We know,” she smiled gently. “I understand. I won’t judge you.”

Guilt rose up inside Natasha. Part of her report had been based on Tony’s antics at his birthday party. She really should have looked beneath the façade and at the real man underneath. She hadn’t considered all the relevant factors. _I really wish I had. Perhaps we would have been more of a team if my report hadn’t been used to form the team’s first impressions on Tony._ She’d messed up big time when assessing Tony. She breathed out slowly and swallowed her pride. “I judged you on this before… I won’t do so again.”

“Bit late to change your report now, isn’t it?” eyed Tony.

Natasha bit her lower lip. “It is… but all of us here can have our opinions changed by watching these movies. What I wrote formed the basis, it doesn’t have to be taken as gospel anymore, especially if we can all understand you a lot more than we ever did so before.”

Tony nodded, reluctantly accepting her explanation.

**Cars pulled up outside the mansion, Rhodey in one of them, just finishing off a phone call to his superior, guaranteeing Iron Man would be back on watch within 24 hours.**

“You didn’t give me twenty-four hours.” Tony pointed out.

Rhodey grimaced. “No, I didn’t. Your antics at the party changed my mind.”

Tony winced.

**He found Pepper, who told him she was going to get some air. He could immediately tell there was something wrong. She showed him Tony, just as he fell over, drunk, laughing.**

**“I don’t know what to do,” said Pepper.**

“Walk-out,” suggested Clint. “She puts up with so much stuff from you. I just can’t believe she would…”

“Still be with me after all these years?” interjected Tony.

Clint folded his arms across his chest. “I do not see what she sees in you.”

“Believe me when I say I ask myself the same question every day,” sighed Tony. “We’re not perfect but we fit well together. We _work_ even if you cannot see it. It’s… It’s hard to describe.”

“It’s a miracle,” butted in Rhodey. “But, if you spend time with them, you’ll see how much they really care about one another. It took them years to get together. Only death will break them apart.”

“Which I hope will not happen for years,” murmured Tony quietly. He didn’t want to acknowledge the dread in the pit of his stomach that he may not have much longer left.

**Rhodey couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “You gotta be kidding me.” Finally, he’d had enough. “That’s it, I’m making….”**

**“No, no, no. Don’t call anyone,” begged Pepper.**

**Rhodey pointed towards Tony. “Pepper. This is ridiculous. I just stuck my neck out for this guy.”**

Tony looked down. “I’m sorry.”

“I forgave you long ago.”

“I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” muttered Tony. “I didn’t think of you or anyone else. I had everything sorted with my suits if I was to die. I wasn’t worried about them.”

Rhodey sighed quietly. “Tony… Once the truth came out everything became clear. That’s why I could forgive you. You were dying, and your condition was causing you to act out. Everything made sense… I know you wouldn’t have done this if you had been fine.”

A slight smile crossed Tony’s face. “Thanks.”

**Pepper reassured him she was going to handle it. Rhodey hoped she would, otherwise he would have to.**

**Holding a microphone, Tony spoke to the crowd. “You know, the question I get asked most often is, “Tony, how do you go to the bathroom in the suit?”**

Steve pulled a face. “Not a question I would ever want to know the answer to. But I suspect I’m about to find out.”

**He made a face, acting like he’d just done a wee. “Just like that.”**

“Gross.” Steve shook his head. He spotted that Tony was about to say something. “I know you were drunk. I’m not judging you for it. It doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Tony shrugged. “I was expecting comments. I’m not surprised. I’m appalled myself. I would not act like that now.”

“We know,” said Sam gently. “I’m seeing it. So has Wanda. I think all of us here will see how much you’ve changed. You’re not the man you were back then. You’ve…”

“Matured,” finished Wanda. “Become a better person. I’m glad I’ve given you a chance.” 

**The crowd cheered as Pepper walked up to him and took the microphone from him.**

**She smiled out at the crowd. “Does this guy know how to throw a party or what?”**

**Tony leaned in close to her, holding a bottle in his left hand. He was completely intoxicated. “I love you.”**

Tony shook his head. “Oh boy…”

Rhodey leaned in close and whispered: “Did you mean it?”

“A part of me wanted to,” sighed Tony. “I should have listened to her then… But… I wanted you to take the suit. The only way I could do it…” He trailed off.

“Was push me into doing it. You let me take it?” asked Rhodey.

“Always wanted you to,” said Tony. “Sorry.”

Rhodey shook his head. “It worked out well in the end, despite the very bumpy road we took to get there.”

Tony couldn’t agree more.

**Pepper laughed. “Unbelievable! Thank you so much. Tony, we all thank you so much for such a wonderful night. And we’re gonna say good night now, and thank you all for coming.” She tried to disperse the party but Tony wasn’t having it.**

“She handles your inebriation well, your lady Pepper!” crowed Thor. “She’d have fitted in well on Asgard!”

Tony wasn’t sure if that was a compliment on Pepper’s part or obscured as a veiled insult. He chose not to comment.

“Pretty sure Pepper only tolerated Tony’s antics because she loved him,” interpreted Rhodey. “But she did have an ending point when enough was enough. It just took a long time in coming.”

Tony glanced at his friend curiously. “You’re not talking about my drunken antics, are you?”

Rhodey shook his head. “Not really. She walked away after Ultron but she came back to you. But enough was enough for her. She needed the break.”

“If anything, Pepper’s breaking point was my consistent need to be Iron Man,” admitted Tony, glancing at the others. “Our relationship was already rocky when Ultron happened. She hadn’t been too pleased I’d joined the Avengers in hunting down HYDRA. It was a sore point between us which only pulled us further apart. And, then Ultron happened and things got worse. We took a break because we had to work out what we really wanted. Siberia was what brought her back to me…” Tony lowered his gaze. “She tolerates my use of the suits only when it is absolutely necessary, I have to use it. She knows it is a part of me, and will never really go away. But we decided we couldn’t let it keep us apart. If it’s something she doesn’t want me to do, I won’t do it.” 

Clint’s face twitched. “A good way to build a strong relationship is to have those principles. Laura and I have them too. I know she’d rather I wasn’t a SHIELD agent… She worries I won’t come back to her but its my life, my career…”

“But is it worth the stress and worry it puts on Laura?” asked Tony. “How has she been since you’ve been on house-arrest?”

Clint’s face changed. “She’s been happy. Knowing I’m at home and able to be the husband she wants to have. I’ve enjoyed it to. Able to see the kids grow up – a lot of which I’ve missed over the years due to all the missions I’ve been on. Laura always knew I might die in the field…” For the first time in a long while, an understanding expression crossed the Archer’s face. “I think I understand how you must feel and why you chose the Accords. It was the better path for you…” He chewed his lower lip.

“Are you regretting joining me?” asked Steve.

Clint pursed his lips. “Maybe I am.”

Steve paled.

**“No, no, no, we can’t … Wait, wait, wait. We didn’t have the cake. We didn’t blow out the candles.”**

**Pepper lowered her voice so she was talking directly to Tony. “You’re out of control, okay? Trust me on this, okay?”**

“He won’t,” observed Sam. “This whole party is going to get worse before it gets better.”

“You’re right about that,” muttered Rhodey.

**But Tony was too drunk to register it. “You’re out of control gorgeous.”**

Tony pulled a face. “Remind me to never get that drunk again.”

**She pushed him further, her voice hardening. “It’s time to go to bed. It’s time.”**

Bruce shook his head. “Please just listen to her!”

**Tony puckered his lips. “Give me another smooch.”**

**Pepper leaned back. “You’re not going to be happy about this.”**

**“Come on, you know you want to.” Tony was persistent.**

“You just peed in your suit, would she really want to?” asked Bucky, pulling a face.

Tony didn’t need to answer. He could remember Pepper’s exact words, consequently, they were the same as what Bucky had just said.

**“You just peed in the suit,” Pepper pointed out.**

“Clearly we’re mentally linked if I can guess what she will say next,” grinned Bucky.

**“I know. It has a filtration system,” argued Tony, trying to justify his actions.**

“Ew.” Natasha winced. “Still doesn’t change anything.”

**“It’s not sexy,” frowned Pepper.**

**“You could drink that water,” revealed Tony.**

Steve blinked, surprised by the statement. “Really? That’s just…”

“It’s filtered, Steve,” defended Bruce. “As much as I feel Tony is wrong in this, the filtration system would be designed to allow it to be made safe to consume again. It’s probably installed as an emergency if you got lost or something, right?”

Tony nodded. “There was always a reason I installed and ensured I had a suit that met my every need. You cannot survive for long without water. It might give me a few more days for rescue. May have been gross to say it at the party, but there were reasons why it was installed. I think of every eventuality. That is why I prepare so much.”

Steve frowned. “I guess you have a reason to. It makes sense. It’s just…”

“The way you said it there makes it seem grosser than what its true purpose is intended for,” finished Sam. 

“Understandable,” acknowledged Tony.

**“Just send everybody home, okay? It’s time to…” she advised.**

**Tony relented. “If you say so.”**

**Pepper exchanged the microphone for the bottle in his hand. “Okay. I’ll take this, you take that.”**

**“Pepper Potts. She’s right. The party’s over. Then again, the party was over for me, like, an hour and a half ago.” Tony walked around the room. “The after-party starts in 15 minutes.” There was a loud cheer from the audience and Pepper closed her eyes in despair. “And if anybody, Pepper, doesn’t like it, there’s the door.” He pointed in the vague direction of the door and his repulsor fired, shattering the glass. The crowd ducked as pieces flew in all directions.**

“This was the moment I realised you had completely lost it,” sighed Nat. “I had to call in Fury. You were completely out of control to the extent if we didn’t do anything, you’d die.”

“I’m sure Fury hoped if I’d died, he’d be able to swoop in and take the suits,” stated Tony, a little harshly.

“Unfortunately, your Will put a stop to that possibility. You’d set things up that we wouldn’t have been able to do it,” nodded Natasha.

“Wait…” Sam frowned. “Did SHIELD want Tony to die or to help him?”

“I think originally they wanted me to die,” answered Tony. “It was only when other things were set in motion – Vanko – that they may have changed tack with me.”

“Several factors ensured your death had to be prevented,” admitted Natasha. “I wasn’t under orders to save you if you died. Unfortunately, as you know, SHIELD and HYDRA had everything mapped out. Contingencies were in place in the event of your death or your survival. I was ordered not to interfere if you did something stupid which killed you.”

Tony glared at her. “Nice to know SHIELD’s one true goal was to get my tech rather than save my life.”

“I’m not going to apologise for it. I was only following orders,” stated Natasha, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Fury is the one you should be mad at. Not Nat,” defended Clint.

Tony sighed. “I know. I am.”

**One of the girls threw a bottle into the air. Tony fired, shattering it to pieces. Rhodey leaves, running downstairs to Tony’s lab to get one of the suits. The girl is still throwing things for Tony to shoot at, including a watermelon.**

“This coming bout between us isn’t going to reflect well on me,” sighed Tony, wincing at the others witnessing his brawl with Rhodey in the Iron Man suits.

“You bought it on yourself,” noted Rhodey.

“Remind me the next time I am dying not to do stupid things,” advised Tony.

“It may be too late for that. How about we remind you every day?” grinned Rhodey. “Vision could tell you at the same time every day.”

“I could, Mr. Stark, if you wish me to?” Vision said.

“Er… no thanks.” Tony hurriedly shot down.

**“I’m only gonna say this once!” Rhodey stands behind the crowd in a full suit of Iron Man armour, coated silver – the Mark II. His gaze is intense and fiery. “Get out.” The helmet slipped down over his face as everyone runs for the door. Rhodey moved forward, pointing at Tony. “You don’t deserve to wear one of these. Shut it down!”**

“I have to agree,” said Steve, “your behaviour here isn’t conducive to being mentally capable of handling the suits.”

“I really wished you had powered down when Rhodey had asked you to,” stated Natasha.

“I was too drunk and dying to care at that point,” mentioned Tony, feeling ashamed of his actions.

**Tony doesn’t seem bothered and turns to look at the DJ who has remained behind.**

**“Goldstein?”**

**“Yes, Mr. Stark?” the DJ answered.**

**Tony giggles uncontrollably. “Give me a phat beat to beat my buddy’s ass to.”**

**As Rhodey comes up from behind to grab Tony, ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ by Queen starts to play.**

“Not the best tune to play when there is a domestic incident going on,” sighed Sam.

Tony was beginning to worry his behaviour in this movie would undo all the hard work the first movie had gone to, to show how much he had changed. Wanda liked him now. As if she had noticed his thoughts, she leaned forward, caught his eye, and mouthed at him: “It won’t change anything.”

A sense of relaxation swept through his body. A slight smile crossed his face and he mouthed back: “Thanks.”

**“I told you to shut it down!” Rhodey demanded.**

**Tony smiles, throws the microphone and bottle away and his face-plate slides down into place. His thrusters flared and he threw them both back into the wall, into the next room and threw a pane of glass before landing in the Gym. Tony manages to right himself, flipping over to land smoothly on two feet whilst Rhodey lay on his side on the floor, amongst shattered pieces of glass.**

“Smooth landing,” said Sam. “Though not in the best of circumstances.”

“Practice,” shrugged Tony.

Rhodey raised his hand. “In my defence, this was my first time in the suit. I was still working things out.”

**Tony began to strode away as if the fight was over. “Now, put that thing back where you found it before someone gets hurt.” Something hit him in the back of his head. Glancing back, Rhodey continued to throw things towards Tony who leaned out of the way. “Really?” Grabbing a set of weights, Tony hit him hard, sending him back into the wall. Hovering over to him, Tony made it clear that Iron Man did not have a sidekick.**

“That really hurt,” accused Rhodey.

“I was trying to push you into taking the suit,” admitted Tony. “If I had backed down, would you have kept it?”

“No. I would never have taken it to the military. I gave you multiple chances to come clean. But you were intent on pushing me away for good. It’s all in the past now, but you really could have gone about things differently. I know you were always afraid to ask for help, but Pepper, Happy, and I were your best friends. You should have trusted us. We could have found a way to help you.”

Tony’s lips twitched. “Maybe.”

“We could have,” insisted Rhodey. “Working together is better than working alone.”

“Don’t forget he did solve the element issue himself,” pointed out Natasha, “though, with a little help from SHIELD of course.” 

**Rhodey hit Tony with a pipe, throwing Tony up through the ceiling with the force of the hit. Rhodey flew upwards. “Had enough?”**

Steve rolled his eyes. “I doubt it.”

**The action moved to the front of Tony’s house where the guests congregated. Pepper and Natasha were the only ones left in the house.**

**“Natalie!”**

**Natasha hurried to her side. “Miss Potts.”**

**Anger burst through Pepper’s response. “Don’t you “Miss Potts” me! I’m on to you. You know what? Ever since you came here…”**

Clint grinned. “Did she figure you out?”

“After this, Pepper did look into my history. She figured out I wasn’t really a _Stark Industries_ employee. But she kept me on. She recognised I was there for a reason.” She glanced at Tony. “Unlike you, who tried to fire me as soon as you realised, I was an Agent.”

**Loud thumps were heard before both Tony and Rhodey came crashing through the ceiling. Pepper screamed. Happy ran in to get her out of harm’s way. Natasha ran off into the crowd.**

“At that point, I really did leave,” confirmed Natasha. “And returned with Fury and SHIELD later.”

**Both Tony and Rhodey continued to brawl with one another, constantly hitting and kicking one another. Tony told Rhodey if he wanted the suit to just take it. Finally, Tony managed to knock the wind from Rhodey and he turned to face the crowd, realising some had cameras on and were filming what was happening.**

Rhodey frowned. “I’ve never actually seen any footage of the party ever. They were filming us… What happened?”

“JARVIS intercepted it and had all traces of it removed from the internet. He was good like that. Knew what type of things would be too damaging for me as Iron Man. That was one of them. It helped the media couldn’t really confirm the story. All they had was stories from the guests but the Army refused to comment on the rumours. Only the people who were there really knew what happened that night,” explained Tony.

“And now us,” said Bruce.

**Tony yelled at the crowd in anger and frustration; the crowd running off in fear of what he would do. Rhodey pulled an appliance out and used it to whack Tony hard with it. The blow sent him flying into a burning fireplace; flames cascading around him. Pulling himself out, he turned and raised his right arm, the repulsor starting to glow to life as he pointed it at Rhodey.**

“If we hadn’t done this, we wouldn’t have…” Tony trailed off, glancing at Rhodey, wondering if he would catch his meaning.

Rhodey did. He knew Tony was referring to the way they had taken down Vanko.

**Rhodey copied the same action. “Put your hand down.”**

**Tony didn’t. “You think you got what it takes to wear that suit?”**

“I think I’ve proven myself a few times by now,” nodded Rhodey, a little smug expression on his face.

**Rhodey sounded regretful. “We don’t have to do this, Tony.”**

**“You wanna be the War Machine, take your shot,” dared Tony, not backing down.**

**“Put it down!” The repulsors on both suits were still powering up.**

“This is gonna wreck your house, isn’t it?” deadpanned Sam, already guessing the outcome.

“Think it's already slightly ruined…” noted Clint.

Tony shrugged. “Didn’t cost much to repair though.”

**“You gonna take a shot?”**

**“Put it down!” Rhodey wasn’t giving up.**

**Tony refused. “No!”**

**Rhodey shouted back. “Drop it, Tony!”**

**“Take it!” ordered Tony.**

**Both fire at the same time and the blasts met in the middle, resulting in an explosion that threw them both backward, windows shattering, and smoke and dust drifting out from the house. Tony ended up nearly on his back on the floor by the wall.**

“Was it worth it?” asked Natasha. “Everything that happened that night? Was it worth it?”

“In a way it was. I got put on the straight and narrow by SHIELD, and Rhodey and the Air Force were happy with their new acquisition. It went mostly the way I had figured it would go.”

**As his systems powered back online, he scanned the area and saw Rhodey in the silver suit walking towards the perimeter. Rhodey looks back at him before turning away and flying off in the suit.**

“If you had apologised, if you had tried to make amends before I left, I wouldn’t have given War Machine to the army,” revealed Rhodey. “A part of me still hoped you’d realise how wrong you were and make things right.”

Tony looked away, not able to see Rhodey’s disappointed expression. “It took a new element to kept me back on the straight and narrow. Nothing you could have done would have got me there. Sorry.”

A part of Rhodey understood. Another wished Tony had been more receptive to his friend's attempts to help him.

**At the Edwards Air Force Base in Mojave, CA, Rhodey flew in, landing on the tarmac. The interface showed him the details of the people who were approaching him. The helmet plate slid up revealing Rhodey. Men and army personnel began to crowd around him. He was greeted by the Major and they went inside the army base.**

“That was honestly one of the Major’s best days when I bought the suit back. Felt like I was betraying you,” sighed Rhodey.

“I wanted you to take it. It was better in my hands than yours,” explained Tony. “I knew my legacy was being left in the right hands. Couldn’t have gone to anyone better.”

“Could have gone about it differently though,” teased Rhodey, aware the others were hearing their conversation.

“I was never one to ask for help.”

Steve leaned forward. “Sometimes, I really wish you did ask for help. When you’ve gone off on your own and things have happened… It’s worried us.”

Tony was surprised at the admission. “Worry? For me?”

“You’re still our team mate, no matter what happens,” continued Steve. “I know not everyone here feels the same way but ever since Siberia I have worried about you. We may have broken apart, but I do still care. You’re Earth’s Best Defender.”

Tony scoffed. “Hardly.”

“You may not see it yet, but you are,” answered Steve’s softly. “I know I’ve said things here today that have hurt you… but these movies are also opening my eyes to who you truly are. I thought I knew you. I didn’t.”

Tony lowered his chin. “None of you really knew me, apart from Rhodey. I only open myself up to others when I can trust them. I’d started to trust you all by opening my home to you. And then the Accords… I tried to do what was best for the team, to get us through this so we were still in a position to help save others… and it hit me back in the face. And, Siberia, Steve, how can I trust you after that?”

“What happened in Siberia?” Bruce looked between the two.

Steve waited for Tony to speak.

“You’ll find out. Then maybe you’ll realise why trusting Steve is a hard thing for me to do again.” Tony shook his head. “Come on, let's get back to this movie. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get on with our lives.” 

**To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> It was pointed out to me that, I think in the Iron Man 2 comic, that SHIELD had hoped that when Tony died they would have got the suits and all his tech. I've sort of alluded to that in this chapter. They could have helped him sooner but held back a temporary reprieve from him until they needed him to survive longer. This concept will come up in later chapters too, most likely the next one. 
> 
> Steve is trying his best to see Tony in a different light. Tony is still not trusting of Steve. 
> 
> I'm finding it difficult to give Thor things to say... I'm hoping I can rectify that soon. 
> 
> The next chapter should be posted next Sunday :) 
> 
> Until then,
> 
> the-writer1988


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Tony's birthday party...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! 
> 
> Not entirely sure what happened to last week's update. It didn't happen... mainly because of work and being tired and not having much time to write or energy to do so when I come home from work in the evenings. I think once I get back into a proper routine I should be able to manage writing on a more frequent basis. It is just trying to find that balance again. 
> 
> Though England has gone back into Lockdown until 2nd December, and our Government has decided that anyone who was shielding earlier this year, which I was, cannot go to work for the duration of this new lockdown. I am now off work again until at least 2nd December, though my manager is looking into trying to redeploy me into a temporary role which I can do from home during this time off, so there is a chance I may have to work from home... I'm just waiting to find out. However, presently, nothing has come through yet and I have a lot of time to write. 
> 
> This story has another 3 chapters to go before it is finished. I've updated the number of chapters to reflect this. I am also hopeful I can make a lot of progress on 'Understanding The Real Hero: The Avengers' when I finish this one, allowing me to maybe start posting that one earlier than I plan to. 
> 
> This chapter is nearly 7000 words, and I am aiming for most of my chapters to reach that mark. 
> 
> Please do, enjoy the chapter!

**Understanding the Real Hero: Iron Man 2**

**Six**

**The camera panned out from Tony, as we see him sitting inside the large donut circle sign atop ‘Randy’s Donuts’. He is still clad in the suit, and he is taking bites out of a donut.**

“Why are you sitting inside the donut?” Bruce blinked, shaking his head.

“You’re sitting inside a donut whilst eating donuts,” smirked Clint. “Novel.”

“If you’re going to Randy’s Donuts, you eat them in the donut,” stated Tony. “Besides, I was in the suit, I couldn’t exactly sit in the diner with the other patrons and expect them to ignore Iron Man, can I?”

“But sitting in a donut eating donuts isn’t conspicuous at all?” Sam raised an eyebrow.

Tony could see the point they were trying to make. “It was… early?” It wasn’t a good excuse and he could see why they were bringing him up on it. “Fine, I just want to sit there. I could see what was coming if anything was.”

**As the camera pans down, it is revealed Nick Fury is looking up at him.**

“Though, admittedly I never noticed Fury arrive,” grouched Tony.

“He’s good at slipping into places and surprising people.” Natasha glanced at Tony. “As you are well aware.” She was referring to the end of the last movie when Nick Fury had got into Tony’s house and the alarms had not been raised to alert him.

“True,” accepted Tony.

**“Sir! I’m gonna have to ask you to exit the doughnut.” Fury shouted up to him.**

**Tony lowers his sunglasses and looks down at Fury, who stands with his hands on his hips, and then walks away.**

Clint roared with laughter. “You got the classic ‘I’m fed up with your shit’ pose and ‘come on down here this instant’ pose!”

“I’m surprised you did leave the donut when Fury asked you to,” stated Natasha.

Tony shrugged. “I had nothing better to do other than sit there and stuff my face with donuts. I was sure Fury could entertain me in some aspects, garner my interest in whatever he wanted to say to me. Though I felt like a child on the receiving end of being verbally told off.”

Natasha leaned forward. “Well, you had succeeded in wrecking your reputation. You were not helping yourself. In Fury’s mind, you deserved it.”

“And yet you could have come forward sooner and _helped_ me instead of leading me astray,” accused Tony.

Natasha wilted under Tony’s steel gaze. “I couldn’t do anything without orders, you know that.”

“Maybe. But that hasn’t stopped you before about going against orders,” implied Tony. “SHIELD was happy to let me die, and you know it, Romanoff.”

His gaze intensified and Natasha couldn’t keep contact anymore. Her silence spoke volumes of the truth Tony spoke.

**They sat at a table in the diner, Tony leaning on his elbow, sunglasses still on. “I told you I don’t wanna join your super-secret boy band.”**

“You make it sound like we are a pop group,” Clint pointed out.

“In some respects, you could say we are,” reasoned Bruce. “We are famous and everyone knows who we are.”

“We just do not sing,” piped up Tony.

“We save the world instead,” finished Rhodey.

**Fury chuckled. “No, no, no. See, I remember, you do everything yourself. How’s that working out for you?”**

Tony refrained from commenting. He knew if he had said anything, he wouldn’t be able to defend himself because the evidence presented thus far had shown he did everything himself and never involved anyone else. It was a bad habit he still hadn’t broken out of.

**“It’s… It’s… It’s… I’m sorry. I don’t wanna get off on the wrong foot. Do I look at the patch or the eye? Honestly, I’m a bit hung over. I’m not sure if you’re real of if I’m having…”**

**Tony was cut off as Fury leaned forward. “I am very real. I’m the realest person you’re ever gonna meet.”**

Clint nodded. “Fury is right about that.”

“I would rather describe him as a busybody who interferes in other people’s business,” sighed Tony. “Still, he did help me when he didn’t have to.” 

**Tony sighed, looking around. “Just my luck. Where’s the staff here?”**

**Fury caught sight of the rash on Tony’s neck. “That’s not looking so good.”**

**Tony admitted he had been worse.**

“On a scale of one to ten, this is a twelve,” stated Rhodey. “Way above the scale.”

**A woman walks over and speaks to Fury, telling him they had secured the perimeter but didn’t think they should hold it for too much longer.**

**Tony glanced over the top of his glasses and recognises his assistant ‘Natalie’. “You’re fired,” he managed. Fury grinned at Tony’s reaction.**

Clint scoffed. “Yeah, you can’t fire her.”

“I know that now,” grated Tony, rolling hie eyes.

**Natasha sat beside Fury. “That’s not up to you.”**

“Though, technically it is,” said Bruce. “It’s his company. He could do what he wanted.”

“Pepper is in charge,” Natasha pointed out. “I think she has more control than Tony does. If anyone could fire me, it would be her.”

**“Tony, I want you to meet Agent Romanoff.” Fury tapped her on the shoulders.**

**“Hi,” said Tony, a bit put out.**

**Natasha explained her true role. “I’m a SHIELD shadow. Once we knew you were ill, I was tasked to you by Director Fury.”**

“How long did it take you to realise Tony was ill?” asked Wanda.

“He’s good at hiding things,” sighed Natasha. “It took us a while to realise. As soon as we were aware, I was deployed to his side, with the aim of becoming his personal assistant.”

“Wait, you intended to be his PA?” interrupted Rhodey.

“Only way to get to his side,” shrugged Natasha. “We already guessed Tony wouldn’t have been interested in interviewing potential candidates for Pepper’s replacement, so we had to slip me in quietly without arousing suspicion.”

Tony leaned back in his chair, scrutinising Natasha. “How long were you with S.I before I handed CEO over to Pepper?” Her entire employment history had been doctored. He hadn’t been able to find out when she had infiltrated his company, despite the digging he had done to find out how much SHIELD had found out.

“Nearly a month. Our aim was to get close to you. It was meant to be a long-term assignment. We had a feeling something was up and you would soon hand over your company. I wasn’t supposed to be the one to bring you the documents to sign over your company,” she admitted.

Tony nodded. “I know that. You poisoned the woman who was supposed to bring me the documents, didn’t you?”

“Non-lethally, I might add,” corrected Natasha. “She survived, and, as far as I am aware Samantha Carlisle is still with your company.”

“She is. Doesn’t give you the right to poison my employees though.” Tony didn’t look happy.

“SHIELD and HYDRA are the same in all but name.” Bucky shook his head. “Both organisations use tactics to get what they want. SHIELD favoured the non-lethal approach more often than HYDRA did.” His eyes focused on Natasha. “You poisoned a woman to get to Stark. I’ve already been a part of an organisation like this against my will. How can you willingly do these things to other people when SHIELD is supposed to be the good guys?”

“That’s a good question,” mused Clint.

“Sometimes we have to do things we disagree on,” said Natasha. “SHIELD could have killed me instead of giving me a second chance. They decided to listen to Clint and give me an opportunity to change. I took it. SHIELD helps to protect others, but sometimes we have to do other things which make us the bad guys, like HYDRA. Unfortunately, in our line of work, it is all part of our job. I’ve come to terms with that.”

“It isn’t something I would want to be involved in,” noted Bucky.

Steve sat up. “You don’t want to be an Avenger?”

“Why would I?” Bucky glared at his friend. “What I’ve seen so far doesn’t give me confidence that this is a team I would want to be a part of.”

Steve was stunned.

“If there is anyone here who I’d like to work with, it would be Stark,” stated Bucky. “Not that he would want to work with me, but at least he has morals and has changed for the better due to his experiences.”

“Are you saying I’ve changed for the worst?” swallowed Steve.

Bucky didn’t reply but this answering stare was enough of an answer for Steve.

Not being able to resist antagonising Steve further, Tony spoke up. “Once this is over, Barnes, we need to talk. There may be a place for you yet.”

Steve was stunned. 

**“I suggest you apologise.” Tony’s gaze narrowed.**

Tony folded his arms across his chest. “I would like to make it known she still hasn’t apologised.”

Natasha glared at him. “I was doing my job. I do not need to apologise to you.”

**“You’ve been very busy. You made your girl your CEO, you’re giving away all your stuff. You let your friend fly away with your suit. Now, if I didn’t know better…” started Fury.**

**“You don’t know better. I didn’t give it to him. He took it,” explained Tony. He was sticking with that explanation regardless.**

“You gave it to me in an underhanded way,” interjected Rhodey, glancing at his friend. “You still wanted me to have it. You could have stopped me.”

“I know,” admitted Tony, “but as I said before, I wanted you to take it. You could have taken it at any time.”

**“Whoa, whoa, whoa. He took it? You’re Iron Man and he just took it? The little brother walked in there, kicked your ass, and took your suit?” Fury didn’t believe it. He turned to Natasha. “Is that possible?”**

**“Well, according to Mr. Stark’s database security guidelines, there are redundancies to prevent unauthorised usage,” revealed Natasha.**

“You hacked into his database too?” Bruce asked.

“It was part of my assignment,” defended Natasha. “We knew, even if Tony died, that we would not be able to control the suits. They were coded to specific people. Four people in fact.”

“Four?” Steve was surprised at that. “So, only four people in the entire world had authorisation to use the suits?”

Natasha nodded. “Yes. Only one of them is here. Tony counts as one as the primary user.” She glanced at Rhodey.

“Who are the others?” queried Bucky quietly.

Tony sighed. “Pepper and Happy. The suits were coded to them in case they were needed to protect them. A few Christmas’ ago, when my house blew up, Pepper briefly used them. Good thing I had coded them to her. She would have died if I hadn’t thought of everything I could to protect her. Even if I died, the suits would not be useful to anyone but Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy. If anyone not authorised to use them tried to use them, the suits would self-destruct.”

Rhodey frowned. “If War Machine is only keyed to me then how did Killian’s henchmen use it? They took it from me. And the President?”

A slight smile tugged at Tony’s lips. “The War Machine suit can be used by anyone. I’m talking about my own Iron Man suits. Those are only keyed to me, you, Pepper, and Happy.”

Rhodey winced. “I don’t know why I thought War Machine counted as one of your suits.”

“It’s yours,” agreed Tony, “and, the Military, if they still want to use it in later years.”

“After I retire you mean?” Rhodey clarified.

“Of course. Retirement. Not the d-word. I refuse to believe you will not reach retirement,” said Tony.

“You’d better be joining me in retirement. It would be boring without you,” stated Rhodey.

Tony grinned. “Life is boring without me when I’m not there.”

Rhodey groaned. “I led you right into that one, didn’t I?”

“You did.”

“Can we get back to the movie now?” asked Rhodey as the others watched their interaction with interest.

Tony shrugged, his gaze flicking towards the screen. “Sure.”

**Tony smiled slightly and snorted. “What do you want from me?”**

**“What do we want from you? What do you want from me?” As Fury laid into Tony, Natasha got up and left. “You have become a problem, a problem I have to deal with. Contrary to your belief, you are not the centre of my universe. I have bigger problems than you in the southwest region to deal with!”**

“I don’t understand how Tony is Fury’s problem?” Bruce asked. “Did he have to get involved?”

“He did if he wanted my suits,” replied Tony knowingly.

“Fury didn’t have to get involved. He chose to,” admitted Natasha. “He does care about you.”

Tony scoffed. “Doubtful.”

“You’ve grown on him then,” attempted Natasha again.

Tony didn’t believe her but he chose to ignore her.

**Natasha returned with an injection and Fury ordered her to hit Tony with it. She injected him right in the neck and Tony jerked away.**

“You could have asked,” snapped Tony.

“You would have said no.” Natasha folded her arms across her chest.

“Not if it helped me. If I’m going to be injected with something, I’d rather do it myself,” grated Tony.

Steve nodded, apparently agreeing with Tony. “You forced it on him without asking. If he’d refused then maybe the situation would warrant you forcing it on him but not without asking him first.” Steve was concerned about SHIELD’s tactics. “You’re taking away the freedom of choice from him.”

Tony couldn’t help but laugh. “Like you wanted to take away the freedom of choice from countries who wanted to decide whether they should grant us entry or not?”

Steve bristled. “They -”

But Bucky stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. “He’s right, Steve.”

“But it’s not the same,” insisted Steve.

“It really is if you think about it,” explained Bucky quietly. “You really messed up.”

Steve shook his head. “I don’t –”

“I know you don’t believe it, but you did,” added Bucky. “Countries and Governments deserve the right to choose who comes into their country. Being a superhero doesn’t automatically give you the right to decide what is best for them. You take away their freedom to choose, it becomes a dangerous world where Captain America is the one making the decisions, and he shouldn’t be.”

Steve couldn’t believe it. “What happened to you?”

“I listened, I watched, and I observed.” Bucky’s simple reply was enough to silence Steve. 

**“Oh, God, are you gonna steal my kidney and sell it?” Natasha grabbed his chin, patted the injection site before Tony pulled away. The rash on his neck faded back down. “Could you please not do anything awful for five seconds? What did she just do to me?”**

**“What did we just do for you?” Fury corrected him. “That’s lithium dioxide. It’s gonna take the edge off. We’re trying to get you back to work.”**

“You still should have asked him,” grated Rhodey. “I’m glad it helped… but he deserved the choice.”

Natasha’s shoulders drooped. “Would it help if I said I was sorry?”

Tony scrutinised her. “You do not mean it. You feel pressured into saying it. SHIELD does what it wants to, regardless of other people’s feelings.” He raised his hands before Clint could make a snarky comment. “And, yes, I am guilty of it too, but I am trying to change.”

Wanda nodded. “He is. My whole opinion and outlook on Tony Stark is different now than what it was. I judged him wrongly…” She glanced around at the others. “I think, like me, you’ve judged him too harshly. 

**“Give me a couple of boxes of that. I’ll be right as rain.”**

**“It’s not a cure, it just abates the symptoms,” explained Natasha.**

**Fury spoke quietly. “Doesn’t look like it’s gonna be an easy fix.”**

Sam frowned. “But the stuff you used helped him. Surely you could have given him a supply of it? Why not give him access to more shots in case his symptoms got worse?”

Tony was secretly enjoying the questioning of SHIELD’s actions. He felt vindicated.

Natasha looked uncomfortable. “I just did what Fury wanted me to do.”

“Not giving me my own supply meant you could control me to an extent,” interrupted Tony. 

“That’s not true,” stated Natasha.

“Then why only give me one shot?”

Natasha couldn’t answer.

**“Trust me, I know. I’m good at this stuff. I’ve been looking for a suitable replacement for palladium. I’ve tried every combination, every permutation of every known element.” Tony was getting fed up.**

“I’d already done the work,” shrugged Tony. “There was nothing I could do that I hadn’t already tried. But then SHIELD had a card up their sleeve…”

**Fury leaned forward, a little bit of hope gleaming in his eyes. “Well, I’m here to tell you, you haven’t tried them all.”**

Rhodey frowned. “Tony told me SHIELD had kept a lot of Howard’s stuff. A lot of his work. It should have gone to Tony when Howard died. But SHIELD kept it.”

“Which they shouldn’t have,” added Tony. “A lot of what I did back then wouldn’t have happened if SHIELD had been transparent with me from the beginning. Had given me the information I needed to work out a new element. All of this could have been avoided.”

“I cannot answer for Fury,” sighed Natasha. “You know that. He was doing what he thought was best.”

Tony’s gaze hardened. “He was wrong to keep my father’s research from me for so long.”

Natasha looked away. SHIELD had made bad decisions in the past. Perhaps the way they had dealt with Tony should have played out differently. But now it was too late. “It still worked out well.”

Tony scoffed. “Not if we go by the report that was written up about me… You didn’t get to see the real me. You saw the fake me, and judged that version. Perhaps SHIELD would have seen the real me if they’d had my best interests at heart. I don’t trust easily but I recognise when people are genuine, and I know when to lower my shields. I never felt that I could with SHIELD itself… but around all of you, after New York, when we were hunting HYDRA, I felt I could start to do so. And then…”

“Siberia,” breathed out Steve, feeling a bit guilty at the events which had transpired there.

“Exactly.” Tony briefly caught his gaze but soon turned away. 

**The scene changed to Hammer with his assistant approaching Vanko, who was working on one of the Hammer suits, having redesigned the helmet. Hammer proclaimed they had got Vanko the bird he wanted and revealed the white bird in the white cage. Vanko stated this was not _his_ bird. They’d had to pull a lot of strings to get this bird from Russia. Vanko continued to insist this was not his bird. **

Vision cocked his head slightly to the side in confusion. “Did he want his bird from his home?”

“Sounds like it,” muttered Sam.

Clint raised a hand. “I did call it earlier. Remember? I said they’d get the wrong bird!”

“He did,” confirmed Natasha.

“But how could he tell the difference?” queried Vision further. “The birds look the same.”

“Usually if you have your own pet, you know when it is not your pet,” said Bruce. “It’s an owner’s instinct.”

“Oh. He must have been very fond of his bird,” said Vision. 

**Hammer told him not to get so attached to some things and to learn to let go.**

Tony sighed. “The same could be applied to Hammer and his obsession with out-doing me.”

“Usually people do not recognise when they carry the same faults, they accuse others of having,” said Sam quietly. “We are all guilty of it.”

**He then noticed the suit and the change of design. He asked Jack, his assistant, what it was. Jack was ordered to try and put his head within the very small helmet. He couldn’t. Hammer wanted to put people inside the suits, however Vanko stated a drone was better. Hammer wanted to know why. Vanko stated for Hammer to trust him as people made problems. Hammer reminded him what they’d said to one another before, and how suits were needed, as the government wanted them like Iron Man suits.**

“Hammer should have realised then and there that Vanko was doing things his own way. He was just using Hammer’s tech to get what he wanted and strung him along. He allowed Hammer to believe he was in charge, when it was Vanko all along,” summarised Sam.

“Hammer was too concerned in trying to one-up me that he ignored the dangers he was facing by working with Vanko,” sighed Tony. “Hammer still blamed me for ruining everything. Though he still has a grudge against Pepper.”

“Who could hold a grudge against Lady Pepper?” Thor asked.

“You’d be surprised,” muttered Tony. “You’ll understand why when this movie is over why Hammer holds a grudge against Pepper. It’s why I keep tabs on him in prison and when he gets out… He won’t be able to come near Pepper at all. I won’t allow it. No one threatens the people I love.” 

“Reminds me of how I was when it came to Jane before I dumped her,” mused Thor.

“Are you sure it was you who dumped her?” grinned Tony. “The way I heard it…”

Thor interrupted him. “I dumped her!”

Tony traded a glance with Rhodey and grinned, both knowing it was Jane who had dumped Thor, having heard it from the scientist herself.

**Vanko threw Hammer’s earlier comments back in his face. “Hey, man. Don’t get too attached to things. Learn to let go.”**

**Hammer sighed: “These drones better steal the show, Ivan. You understand? Better rock my world, Ivan.”**

“They rocked it enough to send you straight to prison,” commented Rhodey. “We should never have taken him on as the Defence contractor. But, after Tony, he was the next best option.”

“Face it, platypus, there was no other option after me,” joked Tony.

“We had to make do with the best of a bad lot,” agreed Rhodey.

**Back at the Air Base, Rhodey and the General viewed the suit, hanging in a secure locker within the base. Rhodey confirmed the suit was fully mission-capable. The General wanted Hammer down there to weaponise it. When Rhodey queried it, the General revealed he wanted the suit to introduce Justin Hammer’s weapons presentation at the Expo.**

**Rhodey wasn’t sure, however, the General believed the world needed to see this fast and they had to make it happen. The General informed him it was also an order. Rhodey acknowledged and the General said he was making his country proud.**

“If I hadn’t gone ‘off-the-rails’ would the Army have asked me?”

Rhodey nodded. “Probably would have. But then, I wouldn’t have taken the suit at your party otherwise if you hadn’t gone crazy.”

“True,” nodded Tony. “Still, at least the Army allows me to keep up its maintenance now.”

“You are the only one who knows how the suits really work,” pointed out Rhodey. He glanced around the room. “If Tony gives you any tech in the future, don’t bother going to a normal mechanic. Only Tony knows how to fix things he has made. Seriously, don’t bother trying, no one else will know what to do.”

“I’m guessing Hammer made a colossal mess of your suit?” guessed Sam.

“That he did…” grated Rhodey.

“Gave me great joy to see what a bad job Hammer had done…” grinned Tony.

“I’d tell you to shut up but I don’t think that would stop you laughing,” sighed Rhodey.

“It wouldn’t,” laughed Tony, sitting back further in his seat, enjoying the banter between them. 

**Tony and Fury were back at Tony’s mansion, sitting in what remained of the ruined living area of the ground floor. Security guards kept watch from a distance. Tony was a lot more sober. They were talking about the Arc Reactor.**

**“That thing in your chest is based on unfinished technology,” the Director pointed out.**

**Tony disagreed. “No, it was finished. It has never been particularly effective until I miniaturised it and put it in my…”**

**“No. Howard said the arc reactor was the stepping stone to something greater. He was about to kick off an energy race that was gonna dwarf the arms race. He was on to something big, something so big that it was gonna make the nuclear reactor look like a triple-A battery.”**

Wanda frowned. “If SHIELD knew he had miniaturised the Arc Reactor and the technology could progress to something more, why didn’t they share what they knew before now? I don’t understand why they kept things from Tony for so long.”

“SHIELD operates on the assumption it cannot allow dangerous material to fall into the wrong hands,” explained Clint, attempting to clear the air. “Stark was an unknown quantity at the time. He was a loose canon – and still is – and they couldn’t risk giving him material he could turn against us.”

“We had to wait until he needed us,” admitted Natasha.

Tony had guessed as much. “Just a ploy to make me feel grateful you had saved my life so I wouldn’t use it against you. SHIELD never cared about Tony Stark. They only cared about Iron Man and what he could do for them. I was just the operator that came with the role. They would have flushed me out if they could have done.”

Rhodey felt anger shimmering inside him. “SHIELD is supposed to be the good guys… but the way you treated Tony and then reported on him? It’s not an organisation I would ever want to work for.”

Even Steve looked uneasy. “I thought SHIELD was better than HYDRA. I was wrong.”

Natasha lowered her gaze. “Maybe if we had done things differently… but we can’t change it now. Tony survived. That’s what matters.”

Tony couldn’t meet her gaze. “Maybe. But it doesn’t change the fact that SHIELD could have stopped everything from happening and helped me before I lost control. Maybe the way people on this team see me would have been different if SHIELD hadn’t tried to directly manipulate me into acting the way they wanted me to, to justify their report.”

An uncomfortable silence fell between them. 

**Tony seemed doubtful as he poured himself a drink. “Just him, or was Anton Vanko in on this too?”**

**Fury leaned forward. “Anton Vanko is the other side of that coin. Anton saw it as a way to get rich. When your father found out, he had him deported. When the Russians found out he couldn’t deliver they shipped his ass off to Siberia and he spent the next 20 years in a vodka-fuelled rage. Not quite the environment you want to raise a kid in, the son you had the misfortune of crossing paths with in Monaco.”**

“I did additional research on Vanko after the incident,” said Vision. “What JARVIS discovered is stored in here.” He pointed to his head. “I should have said it earlier. Anton Vanko wasn’t working with the Russians. They did approach him. But he refused. The Vanko’s had escaped Russia for a reason. They wanted a better life for their family. They were accused unfairly…”

Tony paled. “Then why did my father have them deported?”

“Because someone, either the Russians themselves fed Howard the intel or someone else close to Howard saw them and informed him,” explained Vision. “Vanko was deported based on limited evidence at the time. As for the Arc Reactor design… it was a joint project. Both your father and Anton Vanko contributed greatly to the project. It was your father who attempted to downgrade Vanko’s contributions to it.”

Tony felt numb. “Why didn’t you tell us this before when we were discussing it earlier?”

“It wasn’t something I considered to be important at the time,” responded Vision.

Tony shook his head, hardly surprised by what his father had done. “So, my father heard Vanko had met with Russians and assumed the worst of him, without giving him a chance to explain himself?” 

“Presumably.”

Rhodey rubbed his eyes with his palms. “Man, this is so messed up. Assumptions were made which led to grudges which came back to hit Tony years later. I know Howard Stark was one of the most intelligent people of his time, but he really made too many assumptions without proper evidence.”

“And the one person he thought he could trust betrayed his son in the most hideous way possible,” muttered Tony, thinking of Stane. He shook his head. “Does make you wonder if my father had carried out the checks properly, how different Ivan Vanko’s life would have been?”

“Probably a lot better than the life he lived,” mused Natasha.

**Tony pointed at Fury whilst holding his glass. “You told me I hadn’t tried everything. What do you mean I haven’t tried everything? What haven’t I tried?”**

**“He said that you were the only person with the means and knowledge to finish what he started.”**

“The Howard Stark I knew,” began Rhodey, “would never have said that about his own son. He never believed in Tony at all.”

“I’m sure Howard must have shown some care –” Steve started but Tony cut him off.

“No. You do not get a say in this! He was a different man when you knew him,” spat the Inventor. “I was just an inconvenience to my father. I never felt that he cared about me. He never showed it either.”

Steve wanted to reassure Tony that he was wrong about his father but he recognised it wouldn’t have gone down well if he had tried. 

**Tony didn’t believe his father would ever say anything like that about him. “He said that?”**

**Fury raised his own glass. “Are you that guy? Are you? ‘Cause if you are, then you can solve the riddle of your heart.”**

Sam rolled his eyes. “Feels like manipulation here. You’re trying to make Tony feel that his father cared about him when the evidence so far points to him not being the best father he could have been.”

**“I don’t know where you get your information, but he wasn’t my biggest fan.” Tony shook his head.**

**“What do you remember about your dad?” Fury asked, curiously.**

“Not anything good,” muttered Tony quietly.

**“He was cold, he was calculating. He never told me he loved me. He never even told me he liked me, so it’s a little tough for me to digest when you’re telling me he said the whole future was riding on me and he’s passing it down. I don’t get that. You’re talking about a guy whose happiest day was when he shipped me off to boarding school.” Tony sat back, sighing.**

Steve shifted in his seat. He couldn’t believe it. “You must be mistaken…”

“Why must I be mistaken?” Tony stood up, turning to face Steve and glaring at him with a look of thunder. “Let me repeat this again. I knew Howard Stark for nearly two decades! I think I know my father better than you ever did!”

Sam caught Steve’s concerned expression on his face. “Leave it, Steve. You cannot claim to know someone better than their own child who knew them longer than you. No one will support you in this.”

Steve cast his gaze around and realising that his friend was right finally nodded in acceptance.

Tony still stood there; arms folded across his chest.

“What?” Steve didn’t understand what Tony wanted from him. 

Tony turned and swiftly sat back down, but remarked: “I thought so.” Inwardly he thought: _why did I ever expect Rogers to apologise?_

**Fury sipped his drink. “That’s not true.”**

**“Well, then, clearly you knew my dad better than I did.”**

**“As a matter of fact, I did. He was one of the founding members of SHIELD.” Fury revealed.**

“Just because you worked with someone doesn’t mean you know him better,” said Bruce quietly. “A lot of people seem to believe they do but it is rarely the case.”

“But if Howard was the absentee father…” pointed out Clint. “And you barely spent time around him in twenty years…”

Bruce shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Fury didn’t see Howard during personal times with his family. Just like we’ve dealt with Tony’s mask and not really got to know the real him… Howard had a mask he used for work too. You cannot say you knew them better if you didn’t interact with them outside of working hours.”

“It isn’t up for discussion,” hissed Tony, feeling a bit angry at the way the conversation was going. He just wanted this to be over with.

**Two men walked behind them with a heavy, silver case, setting it down in front of them.**

**Shock passed across Tony’s face. “What?”**

**Fury glanced at his watch. “I got a two o’clock.”**

**Tony pointed to the silver case. “Wait, wait, wait, wait. What’s this?”**

“What SHIELD should have given Tony long ago,” grated Rhodey, frustrated on his friend’s behalf.

**But Fury was not going to elaborate, instead he asked Tony if he was good, which he wasn’t. Fury changed his question, asking if Tony had ‘got this’. Tony didn’t understand what Fury was referring to. Fury informed him Natasha would remain a floater at Stark with her cover intact.**

“Which I wasn’t happy with, might I add!” Tony made a point of everyone knowing his thoughts on this.

**Agent Coulson walked towards them. Fury checked Tony remembered him. He did.**

Clint grinned. “Coulson is a very rememberable person. Who could forget him?”

Thor’s shoulders drooped. He hated his brother had killed Coulson. Coulson had been a good man. Though he had forgiven Loki for many other things, the loss of Coulson was a sore point, one that Thor knew would never go away.

Good people were taken too soon.

**As the Director walked away, he turned back and said directly to Tony: “And Tony, remember, I got my eye on you.” He departed.**

Tony shuddered. “That’s still worrying. One eye on me. Come on, how is that not a bit scary?”

Natasha folded her arms across her chest. “Unfortunately, Fury cannot keep an eye on you anymore. You’ve made sure he can’t.”

“I have a right to a private life,” Tony bit back.

Clint gaffed. “Says the man who spends his life in the public eye… Hypocritical at its finest. Can’t have it both ways Stark.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “The people I love deserve a private life, even if I don’t. Just because I am who I am doesn’t invalidate my right to live my life anonymously. If I could, I would gladly move away from the city, find a nice piece of land and settle there, tinkering away with Pepper by my side, running the company from afar. The public eye has always been on me, foisted upon me by my father as a child. I’ve never been able to keep my life private because my own father kept pushing me into the spotlight. I think I am well entitled to shutting the door on the media if I wanted to.”

“Then why don’t you do that? Move away?” asked Steve quietly. “If it's what you wanted to do…”

“Because someone will always come and drag me back in,” sighed Tony. “I said this before. If I did leave, it would be on the understanding I would not be pulled away from my life unless it was universe-altering shenanigans.” 

**Tony stood with his hands behind his back as Natasha approached him and explained they had disabled all communications, and Tony was to have no contact with the outside world. She told him good luck before leaving herself.**

**Tony turned to Agent Coulson. “Please. First thing, I need a little bodywork. I’ll put in a little time at the lab. If we could send one of your goon squad down to The Coffee Bean, Cross Creek, for a Starbucks run, or something like that, that’d be nice.”**

**Coulson wasn’t having any of Tony’s snark. “I’m not here for that. I’ve been authorised by Director Fury to use any means necessary to keep you on premises. If you attempt to leave or play any games, I will taser you and watch _Supernanny_ while you drool into the carpet. Okay?”**

“Coulson said that to you?” Bruce gasped.

Steve leapt to Coulson’s defence. “He was just explaining what he would have to do if Tony broke the rules. There is nothing wrong in what he said.”

“Wow.” Tony blinked, and shook his head.

“Steve,” Sam spoke quietly, “tasering Tony in the condition he is in there would have killed him. His body wouldn’t have been able to take the stress. Fury should have known better not to use a taser threat to ensure Tony’s compliance. They could have killed him.” He frowned. “I’m beginning to think SHIELD kinda hoped Tony would bait them enough for them to do it, so if he died, they’d be able to get all his stuff.”

“SHIELD probably didn’t know what tasering Tony would do him…” attempted Steve.

Tony sighed. “You really have no idea do you, Rogers? Tasering me would have killed me. I was only alive due to a small intervention, but it wasn’t enough to keep me going for long. With each passing hour I was feeling worse and worse. If you believe SHIELD didn’t know what tasering me would do…” He shouldn’t be surprised by Roger’s admission. “Urgh… you have no clue about the grand scheme of things.” 

Steve bowed his head.

Bucky leaned in close to his friend. “I think you need to think things through before you offer an opinion, Steve. You’re just going to keep getting yourself in trouble if you continue down this path.”

Steve nodded his head.

**Tony blinked and nodded. “I think I got it, yeah.” They shook hands.**

**Agent Coulson turned and walked away. “Enjoy your evening’s entertainment.”**

**Tony looked down at the box that had been left for him. Inscribed on top were the words: PROPERTY OF H. STARK .**

Wanda frowned. “I’m not sure looking through a box of your father’s old research would be considered entertainment for you, would it?”

Tony agreed. “It wasn’t. But, in a way, enlightening.”

**Back at the airbase, the silver Iron Man suit lay on a table, parts of it having been dismantled, and areas exposed. Rhodey removed the Arc Reactor from the chest piece.**

Tony folded his arms across his chest. “How much did the Army learn about the suit by dismantling it?”

“Not much,” admitted Rhodey. “Enough for Hammer to make modifications to it though, but not the in-depth knowledge that you have.” 

**Hammer entered, sucking on a red lollipop, who couldn’t believe what he was seeing.**

“He looks like an excited eight-year old who has won a goldfish at the fairground along with a lollipop,” quipped Sam.

The others couldn’t help laughing.

**He wanted to know what Rhodey had done to get hold of one of the suits. Rhodey didn’t elaborate, wanting Hammer to tell them what he was going to do for them.**

“Good, I’m glad you didn’t tell Hammer what had happened between us,” said Tony quietly.

Rhodey smiled. “You may have pissed me off but I know how much Hammer hated you. I wasn’t going to give him the opportunity to attack you further.”

Tony smiled gratefully. “Thanks.”

**Hammer explained he was going to upgrade their software, however, Rhodey interrupted as he had been expecting suggestions on firepower.**

**Hammer bit his lolly, and claimed they were talking to the right guy.**

“No, he really wasn’t,” stated Rhodey. “His weapons sounded and looked good… but their execution was a complete failure.”

**The next scene showed Hammer laying out all the weapons he had brought with him, including a M24 shotgun and the M134 7.62 minigun, amongst others. Throughout the demonstration, Rhodey and Colonel Allen stayed silent, until Hammer said that was all he had. Hammer couldn’t read Rhodey or gauge his reaction. It came as a surprise when Rhodey stated he would take them all.**

Rhodey raised his hands. “In light of everything, I really shouldn’t have taken anything from Hammer, but the onus was on me to make a buy and get the suit running, regardless of technology.”

Tony grinned. “This is why you only use Stark tech. You know it is always going to work. If it doesn’t work it’s a dud.”

“It was a lesson we all learned a bit later on,” sighed Rhodey. He glanced around the room. “You want the best tech; you go to this guy here.” He patted Tony on the shoulders. “Otherwise you are wasting your time.”

“Thanks for the recommendation,” replied Tony.

At least someone thought he was worthy. It meant a lot Rhodey had stayed by his side, regardless of what he did.

He couldn’t name many true friends but Rhodey was certainly one of them. 

**To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!
> 
> Apparently in the Marvel tie-in comics, to infiltrate Stark Industries and to be the employee who delivered the paperwork to Tony at his mansion, Natasha had to poison the woman who was originally supposed to do it. I thought this was a good little story to add to the narrative which is why I decided to reference it. 
> 
> Bucky isn't liking what he is seeing and would not rather work with the Avengers, though he feels he could work with Tony. This is a plot point that will come up later in the series. 
> 
> I also think it is likely Tony would only allow certain people to use the suits. So, Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy would be able to use the suits either for defence or escape purposes as Tony has ensured they are coded to them all. 
> 
> Anyone else find it strange that SHIELD didn't give more access to the medicine they used to relieve his symptoms? SHIELD gave him one dose and then left him to find a solution - why not give him a supply? I wanted to bring that up as I feel SHIELD could have given him a small supply. 
> 
> I'm not sure it is really confirmed if it was Thor who dumped Jane or if it was Jane who dumped him. I decided to go with the idea that it was Jane dumping Thor first. Makes it a bit more fun that way. 
> 
> The new information about Anton Vanko... Though it is assumed he did betray America, there is another angle to the story that one could be explored. He fled Russia to come to America - what proof was given that Anton intended to sell secrets to Russia? This idea was brought on by one of my reviewers who questioned about the way I spoke about Vanko in an earlier chapter. I wanted to take on board what they said and go for a different angle. Vanko really disliked the Stark's. What if Vanko Snr was innocent and the Russians pursued him, and it was wrongly assumed he intended to sell to Russia? His life, and that of his son, was worse off after being deported. I think it is worth considering Vanko may have been innocent, which is why I've decided to go down this path. It's a different angle to look at - and put simply, Howard Stark made an assumption and was wrong. 
> 
> Steve doesn't understand tasering Tony would have the capacity to kill him. 
> 
> The next chapter will be posted next Sunday 15th November! 
> 
> Until then, 
> 
> the-writer1988


	7. Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony creates a new element.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! 
> 
> 9582 words later this chapter is finished! Took me a while but we finally got there! 
> 
> I may have to start shortening chapters as it is a struggle to write this much in one week but we'll see how I go. I may be able to keep this up. 
> 
> Please do, enjoy this next chapter!

**Understanding the Real Hero: Iron Man 2**

**Seven**

**Tony is looking through the box. Within it are blueprints for the Arc Reactor, old newspaper articles about Anton Vanko, and old video reels.**

“Why would your father keep old articles about Anton Vanko?” queried Sam. “Seems a bit odd he would do that, especially for a guy who allegedly betrayed the United States.”

Natasha interrupted to clarify the situation. “The articles were not from Howard Stark. They were from SHIELD. We added it to the box. We wanted to give you more information. Once Vanko was deported, Howard cut all ties with him. The only thing he truly kept was the old Arc Reactor designs. He couldn’t exactly get rid of those.”

Bucky frowned. “Considering HYDRA was operating within SHIELD, why didn’t they just try to take all of Howard Stark’s stuff? If Tony didn’t have it… The few times I remember when Stark was being discussed they were interested in the Arc Reactor. Some of the times were after Afghanistan.”

“It was hidden away in a very secure area of SHIELD,” admitted Natasha. “Fury had spy holes that no one else knew of. It was kept in one of them. Not inputted into the system anywhere either so HYDRA could never find it.”

“My father was always suspicious of people stealing his work,” explained Tony. “It doesn’t surprise me that he had contingencies in place to protect his legacy, and only select people had access to it.”

**Tony watched the old videos using an old projector, as he flicked through old notebooks, taking notes as he did so. Howard Stark appears on the screen beside the model of the City of the Future.**

**“Everything is achievable through technology. Better living, robust health, and for the first time in human history, the possibility of world peace. I’m Howard Stark, and everything you’ll need for the future can be found right here. City of the Future? City of Tomorrow? City of… I’m Howard Stark and everything you’ll need in the future can be found right here.” Behind Howard, a little boy appears by the model city.**

“Is that you, Stark?” asked Thor.

“Yep, that’s me,” sighed Tony. “That little boy right there, just being curious… Not really knowing what my father was doing. My father never liked me interfering. He wanted me to be perfect.”

“It’s impossible to be perfect,” responded Sam. “Everyone has their faults. No parent should expect their child to be perfect or expectation to live up to other people.”

Tony nodded. “And that was the problem with mine. He was always going off on expeditions to search for Rogers.” He briefly glanced at Steve. “Leaving mom and I alone. He didn’t realise the effect it had on us… or if he did… he never cared. He just wanted to find Captain America. Kept comparing me to him for years. ‘Why can’t you be more like, Steve?’, ‘Steve wouldn’t do that, why do you?’.” Tony rolled his eyes, frustration leaking out into his voice. He hadn’t meant to allow the frustration to leak into his voice.

“Did… Howard really say that to you?” asked Steve quietly.

Tony finally met his gaze, a hard expression on his face. “Yes. I was never good enough for him. You thought you knew him, but people change. The person I knew growing up wasn’t the person you knew. The sooner you accept this, the quicker you’ll understand why it is hard for me to look at you as a friend. The one person I was always compared with is now here, and my father isn’t. I guarantee if he was, he’d still be comparing me to you.”

Steve didn’t know what to say. Howard had seemed such a nice man. Could he really have changed so much that he would put his son down the way Tony remembered he had? Bucky had told him to think things through before speaking, and he was trying to take a more cautious approach instead of saying things without thinking them through.

But he found it hard to believe Howard hadn’t _cared_.

Steve recognised Tony was expecting him to fight back as he’d been doing throughout the movies so far but Steve chose to stay silent.

It was the best option at the moment, especially since the subject of Howard Stark was such a touchy subject.

**“So, from all of us at Stark Industries, I would like to personally…” Howard turns back and sees a young Tony picking one of the buildings up off of the model. “Tony, what are you doing back there? What is that? Put that back. Put it back where you got it from. Where’s your mother? Maria? Go on. Go, go, go, go.” A man picks little Tony up and moves out of the camera’s range. All right, I think we got…I’ll… I’ll… I’ll come in and…”**

Sam frowned. “I know times have changed and the way people parent children are different now, but why couldn’t Howard Stark have taken you back to your mother? It may have made all the difference in showing he cared for you rather than allow others to bring you back.”

“A good observation,” commented Tony. “My father was never hands-on. The one man who did raise me was our butler, Jarvis. He was the one I really missed when he died. That’s why my first A.I was named for him. I knew I could always rely on him, no matter what. JARVIS’ loss and migration into Vision was… hard. I lost the one constant in my life who had been there for me during several difficult times of my life. I was suddenly without the person I could rely on most.” Tony shifted in his seat. “JARVIS may not have been ‘alive’ like we are. But he was family. Just one part of a small number of people I could consider family. And I lost both JARVIS’s. The A.I JARVIS was can never be restored to what he was.”

“And FRIDAY?” queried Wanda. “Can she not…”

Tony knew what she was asking. He shook his head. “No. In years to come she can reach the levels JARVIS was but it took decades for JARVIS to become what he was. FRIDAY can learn faster as she is designed differently to JARVIS.” He bit his lower lip. “They’re not comparable. They’re unique in different ways. No A.I can ever be the same as its predecessor.”

Wanda lowered her gaze. “I feel it is my fault you lost JARVIS. If I hadn’t…”

Tony turned to face her. “I don’t blame you for it, Wanda. You didn’t know the truth than that you do now. I don’t want you to feel guilty that I lost JARVIS.”

“But if I hadn’t…”

“Wanda… what do you mean?” asked Sam curiously.

The others didn’t know she had manipulated Tony. He’d kept quiet about it, allowing her a second chance to change her life around. She knew the secret would come out during these movies at some point. Was there any reason to hide it any longer?

“I did something to Tony… Which ensured Ultron’s existence,” she admitted quietly. She couldn’t meet the other's gaze, fearful of their reactions to her admission.

Tony’s response and defence of her surprised Wanda the most.

“It’s in the past. Wanda and I have a complicated history. What’s done is done. All we can do is learn and move on and come to a greater understanding of each other than we have done before.”

Wanda’s lips flickered slightly upwards. “You’ll see. I’m sure you will.”

Sam nodded, feeling a little cautious but if Tony was trying to move past it, then so should the others. Whether that would be the case when it came to viewing the Ultron incident would be another matter entirely. 

**The video flickered and the screen changed. Howard takes a drink and asks if they were waiting on him. The video changes again. This time Howard is unable to finish his sentence and attempts another video.**

Clint tilted his head to the side. “It’s like he doesn’t know what to say. Keeps making mistakes.”

**Tony reached the end of the written pages of the notebook. The rest were blank pages. He threw the notebook aside and drank. His attention was only drawn back to the screen when Howard said his name.**

Everyone sat up straighter as if they could sense the significance of what was about to be said.

**“Tony. You’re too young to understand this right now, so I thought I would put it on film for you. I built this for you. And someday you’ll realise that it represents a whole lot more than just people’s inventions. It represents my life’s work. This is the key to the future. I’m limited by the technology of my time, but one day you’ll figure this out. And when you do, you will change the world. What is and always will be my greatest creation is you.”**

**Tony looked emotional as the film ended.**

“That is the nicest thing he has ever said, and he never said it to my face,” sighed Tony. “I’m supposed to be the one thing he is most proud of creating… but he can’t bring himself to tell me himself when he was alive. Always pushing me, always criticising my work. I can’t even remember if he ever praised anything I created.” He pointed to the screen. “And yet he says I am his greatest creation! Why not tell me? Why not give me confidence that I am doing something right and you are proud?”

“What was your father’s upbringing like?” asked Bucky.

Tony grimaced. “He never really spoke about it. What I do know is very little.”

“He was an intelligent man who couldn’t utilise his technology the way he wanted to because of the era he lived in,” Sam added. “He must have been frustrated by how little he could advance. It’s in the last few decades technology has really taken off and become what it is now. If your father had been alive now…”

“Nothing would have held him back,” agreed Tony. He could see their point. “My father’s life… He had humble beginnings. My grandfather sold fruit and my grandmother sewed shirtwaists for a living. For my father to get to where he was it was a miracle. Back in those days going from poor to well-off was a rarity. But he stood apart from the others. He was a genius compared to his own parents. They didn’t approve of his ambitions. I do not believe they lived long enough to see what he did… Maybe his own upbringing hindered his own ability to be a good father.” Tony’s shoulders slumped. “I can’t forgive him for making me feel like I was a burden to him. One home video isn’t going to change decades-old feelings. Maybe it gives me a little boost, sure, but it's not enough to redeem him in my eyes.”

“Even if we tell you he was a good person?” asked Steve tentatively.

Shaking his head, the Inventor reaffirmed his words. “No. I never saw it for myself. Maybe he meant well but it doesn’t change the fact I have never felt that he loved me.”

“Decades worth of neglect is never easily healed or forgotten,” explained Sam. “You were fortunate to know Howard Stark at his best. Tony wasn’t. You can’t keep pushing this, Steve.”

Reluctantly, Steve nodded. “A part of me wishes Tony could have seen what I saw in Howard… I know he can’t.”

“We all see people differently,” interjected Wanda. “Believe me, I know. I never saw Tony as a good person until today.”

Tony let out an audible sigh. “I know you liked my father, Rogers. I know he was a friend. But I can’t see past my own experiences with him. I would appreciate it if you could drop the assertion Howard Stark was a good father.”

Steve knew he had to give something, especially if they were going to move on. “Ok. I will.”

Tony inclined his head before turning back towards the screen.

Steve had a lot to consider. 

**The scene changed to Tony driving down a road in a car with the number plate of Stark11. He stopped to buy some strawberries, speaking in Spanish to the vendor. Tony admitted he didn’t have any money on him and gave him his watch as payment. The man put the box of strawberries in the passenger seat and then asked Tony if he was Iron Man. Tony responded that he was sometimes before driving off.**

“You just paid for it with your watch.” Bruce looked stunned. “I know you’re a billionaire but that watch is worth thousands compared to a box of strawberries!”

“Did you just make him rich?” Clint asked.

“Honestly, at that point, I was still convinced I was going to die. I was throwing away stuff to anyone. It didn’t matter if it was someone selling strawberries at the roadside. My motivation was to fix things with Pepper,” explained Tony. “And to find my father’s City of the Future model which had always been held at _Stark Industries_.”

Rhodey grimaced. “The Key to the Future wasn’t in the safest place it could have been…”

Sam agreed. “Definitely not. But if no one understood its true significance…”

“No one would want to steal it,” finished Bucky.

**Pepper sat at her desk on the phone talking to a lawyer whilst a news reporter spoke on the tv. She told them the seizure of the Iron Man suit by the army was illegal as it was trademarked property. Her PA came into her office and told her Tony Stark was there and was refusing to leave. Tony slipped into the office. Pepper was still on the phone and he waited awkwardly for her to finish as he glanced around at what had once been his office.**

Rhodey chuckled. “I like that she’s redesigning the office according to her tastes. The mini-bar has long since been removed. It wasn’t entirely appropriate for you to be drinking at work, Tony.”

Tony shrugged. “I was allowed to get away with what I wanted. I became too accustomed to getting what I wanted without having to fight for it. My drinking days are long behind me now. Being with Pepper helped me have a better lifestyle.” 

“And the Arc Reactor too,” intoned Rhodey.

“True,” Tony acquiesced.

**“Listen, it’s our position that Stark has and continues to maintain propriety ownership of the Mark II platform.” Pepper was adamant.**

**The news reporter continued to drawl on in the background. “When Mr. Stark announced he was indeed Iron Man, he was making a promise to America.”**

Clint disagreed with that. “Was he? Watching that press conference a few hours ago showed us Stark got himself into a hole that he couldn’t recover from. And, I think you wanted the attention it was going to bring you.”

“Partially true,” admitted Tony. “I didn’t want to hide that I was Iron Man. I had created this new suit which was a game-changer and no one could know it was me? I wanted to use Iron Man for what it was designed for – to help others, no matter where they were in the world. I didn’t make a promise to America. I made a promise to the world to protect it, even if it wasn’t obvious at the time.”

“When did you realise you wanted to protect the world?” asked Sam, curious as to how Tony had gone from wanting to stop terrorists from using his weapons to protecting the world.

“Unknowingly I did want to protect the world, even after Afghanistan,” mused Tony, thinking hard. “But I think it really hit me after New York… I saw what was on the other side of that portal. I know what’s coming. If anything, I promised myself I would do everything I could to prepare the Earth for the future and to protect it.” He sighed. “I clearly fail.”

“Why do you think that?” queried Bruce.

“Why else watch these movies if I fail to protect Earth? Clearly, I screw up.” Tony looked up at the ceiling as if daring the voice to correct him. It didn’t. “You’ve been very quiet through this viewing so far, haven’t you?” 

_I will only speak when I feel it is required. I cannot answer your question. You need to watch and see,_ the voice said. _I may be silent for an entire movie and only speak at the end._

Tony grimaced. “Fair point.” His lips twitched. “Everything I’ve done is to keep the Earth safe. I know it may not seem like it but it's true.”

**Pepper disagreed with the lawyer on the other end of the phone. “No, the suit belongs to us.”**

**The reporter commented in the background.**

**“Yeah, but you’re not…” Pepper was beginning to get frustrated by her conversation.**

“Who’s she talking to?” asked Thor.

“Lawyers,” confirmed Rhodey. “The suit I ‘stole’ was _Stark Industries_ property. I technically didn’t have a claim to it. They were trying to procure the suit back.”

“They’re people who fight for you, aren’t they?” Thor clarified.

“Fight in a court of law, yes,” nodded Rhodey.

“Earth has such strange customs. My father always judged crimes.” Thor glanced at Bruce. “Though Asgard was smaller than here.”

“People train for years to be lawyers,” explained Bruce. “You really need to brush up on Earth’s laws and customs if your people are going to settle here.”

Tony leaned forward. “Wait. _Settle here_?”

“Would Earth mind?” Thor looked surprised.

“What happened to Asgard?” Steve looked worried. They knew Thor and Bruce had been brought back in time. Whatever had happened to them could not be changed but other events could be.

An anguished expression crossed Thor’s face. “Asgard is gone.”

“Gone as in destroyed?” swallowed Steve, his face pale. What had happened to Thor?

“Yes. Before we were brought here, we lost Asgard,” explained Thor, his voice quiet. “We had no choice. It was the only way to save my people… We need a home. A place to live. Earth is all I know. The one place I could trust my people with.”

“But it's not happening for you all yet, is it?” pressed Bruce. “We’ve been pulled back in time for this. You have time to prepare for our arrival.”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t have helped with Asgard,” apologised Steve. “We’re all sorry for your loss.”

There was a general murmur among the group, agreeing with Steve’s sentiment.

“Asgard was never a place,” explained Thor, “it was a people. Wherever we settle will be known as Asgard. It is the people who made Asgard for what it was, not the city itself.”

Tony nodded, understanding the point of view Thor was trying to get across. “We’ll do what we can to help. And, now we know you are coming, we can get arrangements in place so the transition is smooth.” He was already thinking about who he needed to talk to to get this done and find a suitable home for Thor’s people. “We’ll have to talk logistics later but by the time you arrive here, everything will be in place.”

Thor inclined his head. “Thank you. My people will be grateful for any help the Earth can provide.”

**The news reporter continued in the background, questioning what qualifications Virginia “Pepper” Potts had to be anointed as CEO of Stark Industries. Tony told the TV to mute, Pepper was still arguing on the phone with the lawyer.**

Tony’s eyes narrowed. “She has plenty of qualifications. Business degree, experience in all levels of a company, and she worked with me for over a decade, pretty much running the business for me. Of course, she knows what it takes to be a CEO!” He had hated the criticism levelled at Pepper following her ascent into the role.

Rhodey leaned in close to him. “I think what you’ve got to understand is that even though you knew she was right for the position; a lot of other people hadn’t seen what you had. It was only right for them to question her experience.”

“Point,” acquiesced Tony.

**“No… Burt… Burt… Burt, listen to me. Don’t tell me that we have the best patent lawyers in the country and then not let me pursue this.”**

**Tony glanced at the boxes in the corner. “I’ll get this stuff out of here.”**

**Pepper sighed. “Well, then, tell the President to sign an order. We’ll talk about it at the Expo.”**

At the mention of the President, Steve’s eyebrows rose. “You could do that? Get the President to sign off orders on whatever you wanted?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Not everything I wanted. Within reason. Ordering the return of equipment that had been stolen from me would be a reasonable request. Unfortunately, Pepper didn’t know I had technically given Rhodey the suit. And, that was what the Air Force claimed had happened to the _Stark Industries_ lawyers. I just didn’t dispute it.”

Shaking his head, the super-soldier could hardly believe it. “You could get anything signed off if you wanted to. Preferential treatment.”

“You really do not know how a business works do you?” mused Tony.

“I don’t think I ever will,” replied Steve. “You get special treatment.”

“Fact number one: I don’t. Being a businessman, I know when to make deals or accumulate favours or debts. This is common practice with a lot of big businesses. It wasn’t just me. It’s all part of running a company. Which leads me to Fact number two: we had it easy as a team before the Accords because of my contacts. It may come across as ‘special treatment’ to you but it was fair from that. A lot of people owed me for things and I held onto those debts for years. Pepper getting the President to sign an order for her? It’s down to business. Anyone in a good position would do the same thing.” Tony raised a hand, sensing Steve was about to bite back again. “And, you got special treatment all the time purely because you are ‘Captain America’.” 

“No, I don’t.” Steve shook his head.

Tony laughed. Steve’s naivety shouldn’t be continuing to surprise him.

“Erm… Steve,” whispered Bucky quietly, “you do get special treatment. You weren’t even a proper Captain in the army and yet you were treated as one. You never achieved that rank in any way official. You got it because of these.” He pinched Steve’s biceps. “You were an experiment, a soldier designed to follow orders, not give them and lead others.”

“Buck…” Steve was stunned. “That’s not accurate…”

“It is actually. Wanna see the files on the Super-Soldier project, Rogers,” stated Tony crustily, “you can have them. You were supposed to be a soldier who would follow orders but remain a good person. But you believe you have the right to do what you want when you want it. I used to think the same as you but I learned a hard lesson. Sometimes you have to go along with things you do not like just to get things done.”

Steve shook his head. “I can’t do that.”

“Then you’ll never be pardoned. You’ll be a criminal for the rest of your life, unable to truly help those you’ve sworn to protect.”

Steve wasn’t having any of it. “No. We can always help.”

“Not if you have Security Forces on your tail. You’re always on the move. You do not have the Intelligence that we have, or the resources to fully aid others in need,” explained Rhodey. “Your approach isn’t the best for the world.”

“But…” Steve wanted to continue stating his case but Sam leaned across and minutely shook his head.

“Steve, if there is one thing that has taught me about our time on the run, is that everyone is against us. There are people who help us but how many of those have we actually met? How many times have we settled somewhere, expecting to remain safe and then the Security Forces turn up and we barely have time to escape?” Sam’s shoulder’s slumped. “If we want to help others, we need to go about it in the legal way Tony is doing. We may disagree fundamentally with the Accords. But… there has to be some good in them, otherwise Tony and Rhodey wouldn’t be operating within them. They are still being sent to places. They’re able to do everything we want to do but we can’t because we didn’t sign.”

Steve couldn’t respond, his eyes downcast.

Tony let out a deep breath. “I think if you gave the Accords a chance, Steve, you may find more to like about them than not.”

“If I said I am willing to discuss it, would that be acceptable?” asked Steve.

Tony nodded. “It’s all I ask.”

“Ok,” agreed Steve, “we’ll discuss it later.”

As if he had lost a battle, Steve resigned himself and glanced back at the screen as the movie resumed. 

**Tony pulled back a sheet covering a large object against a wall and found the same model he had seen in his father’s video, the model he had come here to find.**

**“Hammer’s giving some presentation tomorrow evening. Will Tony Stark be there?” Pepper glanced at Tony as he pulled up a chair.**

**“Will I?”**

**“No, he will not. Bye.”**

Rhodey chuckled. “She said you wouldn’t be and you still showed up?”

Tony shrugged. “It was either stay at home and let Vanko win or try to fix all the mistakes I had made in recent days. I think I made the right decision.”

“You did,” agreed Rhodey.

**“I would like to be. Got a minute?” he asked her.**

**“No.” She didn’t look happy to see him.**

Clint cringed. “Rebuffed.”

**“Come on, you just got off the phone. You’re fine. 30 seconds,” he negotiated.**

**Pepper immediately started to count down. “Twenty-nine, twenty-eight.”**

“She’s really not messing around,” observed Wanda, surprised by Pepper’s tactic. She glanced at Tony.

“I did make her first week of CEO hell. I cannot really blame her for not wanting to talk to me,” sighed Tony.

**Tony placed the box of strawberries on her desk. “I was just driving over here, and I thought I was coming to basically apologise, but I’m not.”**

Sam groaned. “Wrong thing to say.”

“You’ll see why I said that in a minute,” pointed out Tony. 

**Pepper glared at him. “You didn’t come here to apologise?”**

**“Look, that goes without saying, and I’m working on that. But I haven’t been entirely upfront with you, and I just want to try to make good.” There was a small silver statue that was going up and down in front of him which irritated him. “Can I move this? This is crazy. It’s like a Ferris wheel, going. I’m trying to get some…”**

**“No.”**

Sam shook his head again. “You’re not apologising because it ‘goes without saying’? She’s supposed to know you’re sorry but not actually hear the words from you?”

“That’s the sum of it, yeah,” winced Tony, understanding his actions in this situation hadn’t done him any favours.

“You made it worse by getting annoyed with the object on her desk,” said Bruce. “Why not just move your chair?”

“I didn’t think of that action straight away…” intoned Tony.

**Tony moved his chair to the right so the device was not in his way. “Do you know how short life is? And if I never got to express… And by the way, this is somewhat revelatory to me. And I don’t care… I mean, I care. It would be nice. I’m not expecting you to… Look, here’s what I’m trying to say. I’m just gonna say it.”**

Wanda’s eyes widened as she realised what Tony was trying to say. “You’re going to tell her you love her?”

“That was my intention,” he admitted. “It didn’t really work though. I wanted to tell her in case I failed. She didn’t let me.”

“Not a surprise,” puffed Clint. “She’s definitely pissed at you. I doubt she would have reciprocated if you had managed to tell her.”

Tony couldn’t deny the truth. If he had told Pepper he had loved her then it wouldn’t have gone down well at all. It had been for the best he had not been able to say it. “I think she would have told me eventually.”

**“Let me stop you right here, okay? Because if you say “I” one more time, I’m gonna actually hurl something at your head, I think.” Pepper leaned forward, a stern expression on her face. “I am trying to run a company. Do you have any idea what that entails?”**

**“Yes.”**

**She continued to lecture him. “People are relying on you to be Iron Man and you’ve disappeared, and all I’m doing is putting out your fires and taking the heat of it. I am trying to do the job that you were meant to do.”**

“Technically, Pepper had been running the company for years,” reminded Bucky. “You just hadn’t made it official until recently.”

“The only part of the job you enjoyed doing was the publicity,” mentioned Rhodey. “You were the designer, the man with the ideas. You were the face of the company more than anyone else. Both Stane and Pepper ran more of the company than you did.”

Tony was aware of that. Despite Stane’s eventual betrayal, he had kept the business running smoothly, allowing Tony to do what he wanted. “If Stane hadn’t betrayed me… He probably would have been CEO. Ironic really. The one position he wanted he tried to get deceitfully, yet if he’d waited, he could have had it.”

“Would you have been headhunting for a replacement though?” asked Natasha. “If Stane had remained loyal to you, would you have become who you are now? Would you still have wanted to move out of the CEO position?”

They were good points well made. “No. I’d probably still be CEO. Afghanistan wouldn’t have happened… I wouldn’t have had the epiphany that I had there to change my life around.” It was interesting considering where his life would have gone if things had been different.

**Tony didn’t like being lectured and he was getting impatient. He startled to fiddle with a small object which leapt out of his hand towards Pepper who caught it. He did look a bit ashamed of his actions.**

**“Did you bring me strawberries? Did you know that there’s only one thing on Earth that I’m allergic to?” she asked him.**

**“Allergic to strawberries,” he realised. “This is progress Pepper. I knew there was a correlation between you and this.”**

“But not enough for you realise she was allergic,” chuckled Rhodey.

“I know it now,” intoned Tony.

“Do you remember her birthday?” Clint leaned forward. “Last movie you didn’t.”

Tony glared at the archer. “I remember Pepper’s birthday. I get her gifts every single year. Ones that she hasn’t bought herself but have come from me directly.”

“The giant bunny for one Christmas didn’t go down well, did it?” teased Rhodey.

Tony held his head in his hands. “That wasn’t my best…”

“You got her a giant bunny?” Sam was shocked. “A giant stuffed-toy bunny?”

“I was new to the relationship thing,” defended Tony. “How was I supposed to know what was an acceptable gift?”

“Jewellery,” replied Wanda, “or clothes. All suitable gifts for women.” 

“I know that _now_ ,” said Tony. “A faux-pas I will never make again.”

**“I need you…” started Pepper.**

**“I need you too,” he responded. “That’s what I’m trying to…”**

**“…to leave now,” finished Pepper.**

“Not what you were expecting, was it?” noted Sam.

Tony shook his head.

**The door to her office opened and Natasha walked in with Happy behind her.**

**Natasha told Pepper the car would leave in twenty-five minutes. Happy asked her if there was anything else. Tony thought Happy had been talking to him however Pepper informed him that she would just be another minute.**

**“I lost both the kids in the divorce.” Tony laughed and looked at Happy, as his former driver shook his head.**

“Wasn’t Happy your head of security?” enquired Bruce.

Rhodey answered for Tony. “No. Happy was employed to protect the CEO of _Stark Industries_. When Tony handed the position to Pepper, Happy’s contract automatically transferred to her. Pepper was his boss.”

“At the time I’d forgotten that detail as Happy went above and beyond his protection duties to me,” praised Tony. “He rarely had a day off, despite me insisting he didn’t need to be with me constantly.”

“Did Iron Man really need a bodyguard?” queried Bucky.

Tony grinned. “Not after I got the suit. Before… always. Happy took his job seriously. He was committed to the role, and still is to this day.” 

Rhodey patted him on the back. “There will always be people loyal to you.”

A grateful smile crossed Tony’s face.

**“Are you blending in well here, Natalie? Here at Stark Enterprises?” Natasha gave him a cold look. “Your name is Natalie, isn’t it? I thought you two didn’t get along?”**

**Pepper signed the papers Natasha had brought her. “No. That’s not so.”**

**Tony sighed. “It’s just me you don’t care for. No? Nothing?”**

“She did care,” said Rhodey. “You’d just gone a few steps too far and she’d had enough of your antics.”

Tony sighed. “I know.”

**Pepper stood. “Actually, while you’re here maybe you and Natalie could discuss the matter of the personal belongings.”**

**“Absolutely,” agreed Natasha. As Pepper and Happy left, she whirled on Tony. “I’m surprised you can keep your mouth shut.”**

Tony smirked. “I’m not going to apologise for that.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to,” replied Natasha, rolling her eyes.

**“Boy, you’re good. You are mind-blowingly duplicitous. How do you do it? You just tear things…” Tony leaned across the table. “You’re a triple imposter. I’ve never seen anything like you. Is there anything real about you? Do you even speak Latin?”**

**Natasha spoke in Latin as she walked around the desk towards the door.**

**Tony twisted in the chair. “Which means? Wait. What? What did you just say?”**

**Natasha turned back to face him at the door. “It means you can either drive yourself home or I can have you collected.” She left the office, slamming the door behind her.**

“Just out of curiosity,” mused Clint, “what would you have done with Stark if he had pushed you further?”

“Nothing,” Natasha replied honestly. “My orders were not to hinder his progress. Putting him out of commission would have been detrimental to the reason Fury got involved. The most I could have done, if I’d been obliged to, would have been to knock him out with a sedative. But that was a stretch. Fury wouldn’t have pleased if I’d had to do that. My best option was to insult him in Latin and leave as fast as I could.”

“Aww,” wilted Tony, “kinda wished I’d pushed you further knowing now that you wouldn’t have done anything to me in retaliation. That’s one for the books. If time-travel is ever invented in my lifetime, I may go and tell myself to keep antagonising you, just to see what happens.”

“God, I really hope you never invent time travel,” said Natasha, shaking her head.

“I doubt I would be the one to crack it,” said Tony. “I may be a genius but I’m not capable of inventing time travel. If I ever do…” He sought to think of an adequate punishment for himself.

“You’ll go a week without any electronic equipment at all. No A.I. No suits. No phones. No computer. Nothing,” dared Clint, watching the Inventor carefully for his reaction.

“That’s… harsh,” swallowed Tony. “But fair. I can easily go a week without any tech what-so-ever.”

Rhodey snorted. “You’ve relied on technology for years. A week is going to be tough for you.”

Leaning back, Tony put his hands behind his head. “It will be a piece of cake!”

“You taking the dare then, Stark?” issued Clint.

“If I do, will you stop making nasty comments?” retorted Tony, glaring at the Archer. Though Clint’s demeanour had started to change, he was still making more detrimental comments than the others.

Clint shrugged. “Can’t promise but I’ll think about it.”

Tony debated whether to refuse, but in the end, decided to take the risk. “Fine. Deal.” 

**“You’re good!” he shouted after her. In his frustration, he piled small objects under the desk spinning thing to stop it moving and then threw the box of strawberries in the bin. As he walked past his father’s model of the “Key to the Future Is Here” against the wall, Tony stopped and looked at it through one eye, focusing upon one key aspect of it. A slight smile graced his face.**

“Did you just crack it?” Sam leaned forward.

“It looked like you were going to leave without taking it with you…” frowned Bucky.

“I intended to take it with me when I arrived but then things didn’t go well with Pepper and it slipped my mind,” explained Tony, “but then I noticed something which piqued my interest and I knew I had to take it with me.”

**Tony drove the model home, with the three pieces of it stacked in the passenger seat of his car. Back at his workshop, he pieced it back together, blowing the dust off of it. He asked JARVIS if he could perform a Vac-U-Form digital wireframe and he needed it as a manipulatable projection. JARVIS confirmed the 1974 Stark Expo model scan was completed before Tony lifted the blue projection away from the model. Tony wanted to know how many buildings there were. He clicked his fingers and the holographic projection began to spin and lifted upright in the air.**

Steve whistled. “I may be a bit uncomfortable around technology but the wonder of how advanced things are… This tech should be out in the world, not just for the Avengers alone.”

“It’s slowly coming out,” said Tony. “The world will be overwhelmed if it all came out at once. People need to be ready for it. I’m a few generations ahead of the population. The difference between myself and my father is that I have the technology to move ahead whereas my father didn’t. Howard could never advance because he was stuck with the limited technology of his time. I’ve been lucky…” 

**He focused upon a specific point in the hologram. “What does that look like to you Jarvis? Not unlike an atom. In which case the nucleus would be here.” He touched the area with his finger. “Highlight the unisphere.” Tony expanded the area that had been highlighted with his hands. “Lose the footpaths. Get rid of them.”**

“Did he hide the atomic structure of a new element inside of a model?” Bruce gasped. “Cunning.”

“And resourceful,” noted Vision.

“It was quite clever,” praised Tony. “We may not have got on whilst he was alive… but his discovery ensured I had a way to save myself.”

**“What is it you’re trying to achieve, sir?” asked JARVIS.**

**“I’m discovering… Correction. I’m rediscovering a new element, I believe. Lose the landscaping, the shrubbery, the trees.” He started to flick things away in the hologram. “Parking lots, exits, entrances. Structure the protons and the neutrons using the pavilions as a framework.” The holographic model resembled a nucleus and Tony expanded it. “Dad. Dead for almost 20 years, and still taking me to school.” Tony swivelled in his chair, musing quietly. He grinned, and snapped his hands down so the holographic model fit in his hands.**

“It’s amazing how a simple model could hold so much information,” commented Wanda. “Without it…”

“I’d be dead now,” said Tony wistfully. “Nothing would have saved me as I’d already tried everything.”

“I’m glad Howard had the means to save you,” smiled Steve. “I know I’ve said things which are controversial…”

“You can say that again.” Tony rolled his eyes.

Steve frowned. “I just want you to know if the world cannot have me defending it, I’m glad they have you.”

Tony wasn’t sure what to say so remained quiet, contemplating Steve’s words. 

**“The proposed element should serve as a viable replacement for palladium,” the A.I reported.**

**“Thanks Dad.”**

**JARVIS gave him the bad news. “Unfortunately, it is impossible to synthesise.”**

Wanda tossed Tony a sharp look. “Then how do you do it?”

“Simple,” grinned Tony. “Watch and see.”

**Tony didn’t believe it. “Get ready for a major remodel, fellas. We’re back in hardware mode.”**

**Tony was seen smashing walls with sledgehammers, drilling holes in the floor, fiddling with wires, and putting large pipes together, running through his laboratory. He was building a Particle Accelerator.**

“What are you building?” queried Wanda.

“A Particle Accelerator. Well, a miniature one at that. But one that would be able to synthesise the new element,” he answered. “It’s a lot of work but for me it is doable.”

**Agent Coulson entered his lab.**

**“I heard you broke the perimeter.”**

**Tony shrugged. “Yeah. That was, like, three years ago. Where have you been?”**

**“I was doing some stuff,” said Coulson.**

“And I know exactly what he was referring to!” teased Clint, briefly glancing at Thor.

**“Yeah, well, me too and it worked. Hey, I’m playing for the home team Coulson, you, and all your Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Now, are you gonna let me work or break my balls?” explained Tony, trying not to sound too impatient.**

**Coulson was looking in one of the boxes and pulled out a prototype of Captain America’s shield. “What’s this doing here?”**

Steve’s eyes widened. “Why do you have a prototype of my shield there?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Tony. “My father made your shield. Any prototype, any further design would have been in my possession.”

Steve hadn’t considered that.

**Tony saw it. “That’s it. Bring that to me.”**

**“You know what this is?” Coulson handed it to him.**

“Of course, he does,” laughed Rhodey. “He’s just not as enamoured with it as you are.”

**“It’s exactly what I need to make this work. Lift the coil.” Coulson lifted the coil they now stood by, Tony on the other side. “Go, go. Put your knees into it. There you go.” Tony pushed the shield underneath the coil. “And… Drop it. Drop it.” Tony measured the top of the coil. “Perfectly level. I’m busy. What do you want?”**

“You used Captain America’s shield to level the Accelerator out…” Bucky shook his head in surprise. “Never thought it would be used that way…”

“It was what I needed,” shrugged Tony. “Didn’t matter if it was supposedly an iconic design.”

Steve looked like he wanted to say something but wisely chose to stay silent. At least it hadn’t been his _real_ shield.

**Coulson told Tony he had been reassigned to New Mexico. Tony commented it was the Land of Enchantment. Tony assumed it was secret stuff. Coulson said it was something like that, then added, “Good luck.”**

“New Mexico?” Thor looked thoughtful. “Was this when I arrived originally on Earth after being banished?”

“It was,” confirmed Natasha. “At the same time Tony was dealing with Vanko, Coulson was dealing with you. The two events overlapped.” She briefly glanced at Bruce. “And you as well.”

Bruce frowned. “Odd how three different events all involved us at the same time but never meeting.”

“I’ve said this before,” advised Thor quietly, “before I left Earth after Ultron, I believed someone or something had been manipulating events. Though they may not have had anything to do with New Mexico, this Vanko, or what happened with you, Bruce, it feels certain to me that we were all destined to meet. Every path we took led us to this point.”

Steve remembered. “We’re supposed to be a team to fight for what is right.”

“Though we may not agree on everything,” added Sam, conscious of the disagreements within the team.

Tony pointed to the ceiling. “What I’ve been doing is trying to prepare for what is out there, for what will inevitable come for us. It would be disastrous if we didn’t. I get the feeling at the end of these movies we will know what is coming. I can only believe we lose if we are having to do this. Or rather… not we lose… I lose. It’s all focused on me, isn’t it? I’m the reason we lose in the future. Maybe I should stay out of it…”

_No!_ the voice spoke up. _You’re needed, just the same as everyone else here is._

Tony swallowed. “Right.” He didn’t believe it but declined to comment further.

“Whatever happens,” briefed Steve, “we’ll do it together.”

Tony still wasn’t sure he could work with Steve again. Maybe the rest of the viewing would help him change his mind but the trust would not be there. Not after Siberia. 

**“Bye. Thanks,” said Tony, shaking hands with Coulson.**

**“We need you.”**

**“Yeah, more than you know,” agreed Tony.**

_We do,_ the voice agreed.

Everyone glanced at each other.

Whatever happened in the future involved Tony to a significant degree, and they had to wonder how the final movie would end.

**“Not that much,” finished Coulson before leaving the lab, allowing Tony to get back to work.**

“I thought Coulson has got it right,” commented Tony quietly, enough so that the others would not hear, but Rhodey threw him a concerned look.

Tony’s ability to make himself seem not important was a worrying factor especially when everything pointed to Tony being a vital part of future events.

**A short while later, the Particle Accelerator was complete. Tony, wearing dark red lensed glasses, installed the last piece of equipment and turned a key on a console. He removed his shirt, as the machine started to whirl to life.**

**“Initialising prismatic accelerator,” confirmed JARVIS as Tony approached a wheel on top of the accelerator. “Approaching maximum power.” Tony grabbed a wrench to use as a lever as the wheel is turned, as the beam of light from the accelerator shot out, cutting through holes in the wall and equipment in the lab. He turns it until the beam of light is concentrated on a small triangle situated opposite the particle accelerator. Within seconds it was glowing blue and Tony shut the system down, leaving the triangle glowing. “That was easy.”**

“Teams of scientists work for years to build a particle accelerator, and a Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland and you build a miniature version in your basement…” Bruce shook his head in amazement. “You defy logic, Stark.”

Tony grinned. “I am brilliant.”

For once no one could disagree with that assertion.

Rhodey patted him on the back. “See, this one performs miracles, does the unexpected. He is way ahead of his time.”

**Tony used a pair of pliers to remove the triangle from the device it had stood in.**

**“Congratulations sir. You have created a new element,” said JARVIS.**

**Tony placed the new element into the Arc Reactor. It beeped and then levelled off, turning the Arc Reactor blue.**

**_“_ Sir, the reactor has accepted the modified core. I will begin running diagnostics,” confirmed JARVIS. **

“You’ve solved the riddle of your heart at the same too,” smiled Sam. “You’ve found an element that wouldn’t harm you either. It’s amazing your father discovered it but had no way to synthesise it.”

“Yeah,” nodded Tony. “If he’d been able to synthesise it himself… things would be a lot different now. The world would be far more advanced, potentially even ready for what is to come.”

**Vanko is also building an Arc Reactor when he is phoned by Hammer who is playing golf with Senator Stern. Hammer wanted to swing on by and look at some of the drone designs. Vanko told him the drone was not going to be ready. Hammer wasn’t happy. Vanko explained he could make the presentation but not an additional demonstration. Hammer wanted to know what the different between the two was. Vanko told him at the presentation they wouldn’t be able to fly or shoot, only salute. Hammer nearly lost it. This hadn’t been what they had agreed to. Vanko had promised him suits and then drones.**

Steve’s face clouded over at Stern’s appearance. “Stern would have bought those drones from Hammer and given them to HYDRA.”

“Good thing Vanko had other plans,” sighed Tony. “Be glad I was able to stop him.”

“And SHIELD wiped all the data from the servers Vanko was using,” pointed out Natasha. “We made sure those drone designs could not be utilised by anyone else. I did it myself. No one in HYDRA would have seen them.”

Steve nodded his thanks.

**The camera pulled back to show Vanko had remade his Arc Reactor whips. He tried to reassure Hammer that everything would be okay, but this wasn’t what Hammer wanted.**

Sam shook his head. “Hammer is going to make an enemy out of Vanko…”

**Hammer returned to Hammer Industries and entered Vanko’s room with two men. Vanko sat on the bed with the bird on his knees. Hammer quipped that suddenly the bird and Vanko were the best of friends. Hammer ordered the men to take the bird. Vanko protested as the bird was put into a sack.**

**Hammer told them to take the pillows and his shoes. He gloated over how that made Vanko feel, as that how he felt since Vanko had renegaded on his deal to give him suits for saving his life. Hammer explained he had a great piece of Stark tech that would look better than the overpriced paperweights Vanko had been making for the demonstration. He wanted to know if Vanko understood what he was doing here.**

**Vanko muttered in Russian. Hammer told him he didn’t speak Russian, and that he was going to leave now and head to the Expo. The two guards would be Vanko’s babysitters, and when Hammer returned, they would renegotiate their terms of the agreement. He said Vanko would make good their arrangement because if he didn’t, Vanko would become exactly what he was when he was found: a dead man. Hammer left the room.**

“Those two security guards will not be alive for long,” observed Clint. “Hammer thinks he has this guy under his control but he doesn’t. Vanko has spent too long perfecting his design to allow Hammer to ruin it now.”

Natasha nodded in agreement. “All Vanko needs is the drones at the Expo. He’s done all the work he needs to do. It doesn’t matter he’s being watched. He planned for this.”

“For a smart guy, Hammer doesn’t know who to trust,” cautioned Bruce.

“A lot of smart people trust the wrong people sometimes,” muttered Tony, casting a quick glance in Steve’s direction. 

Bucky stopped Steve from retorting. Tony did have a point after all.

**Back at Tony’s mansion, JARVIS informed him he had an incoming call from a blocked number. Tony noted his phone privileges had been reinstated. He assumed it was Coulson calling and asked how was the Land of Enchantment.**

**It wasn’t Coulson calling. It was Vanko.**

**_“_ Hey, Tony, how you doing? I double cycle.”**

Tony hung his head. “I really should have understood what double cycled meant. I’d given him the idea after all. I was shocked to hear his voice.”

**Tony was surprised to hear his voice. “You what?”**

**The screen shows Vanko sitting in his room, his white bird on his shoulder, and his two guards hanging by their necks in the centre of the room. “You told me double cycle’s more power. Good advice.”**

“You told him how to make his product better?” Steve almost tutted.

“To be fair, I wasn’t expecting him to get out. Plus, he was confirmed to have been killed in a blast in his cell. Though, as we know, it was a look-a-like. He shouldn’t have had the chance to make it better.” Tony defended, glaring at Steve.

**“You sound pretty sprightly for a dead guy,” remarked Tony.**

**Vanko laughed. “You too.”**

“He’s not dead yet,” muttered Rhodey.

“What I don’t get is he knew you were dying… Why not just let you die?” asked Wanda.

Tony raised an eyebrow at her. “Tell me, if I’d been injured in Sokovia and you had the chance to kill me, but you knew I was dying, would you have killed me or left me to die a slow and agonising death?”

Wanda fell silent, contemplating her next words. “I had the chance to kill you. But I let you walk away with the sceptre.”

“But what if the circumstances had been different?” pressed Tony. “I’m not going to be mad by what you say. You hated me. Think about what you would have done if you had been placed in that exact position?”

Considering carefully, she finally had her answer. “I would have killed you.” She bit her lower lip, afraid that she was saying the wrong thing. “I would have wanted to see the light leave your eyes… see you take your last struggling breath and my hand…”

“And there is your answer,” said Tony. “Vanko wanted to be the one to end me. He didn’t care I was already dying. He probably realised I may find a solution to my problem and wanted to make sure I stayed dead. Just like you would have wanted to, Wanda, if you’d killed me.”

“I think I understand now,” she answered quietly.

**Tony holds back his anger at the comment. He muted the speaker so only Vanko could speak to him “Trace him.”**

**“Sir.” JARVIS started the scans, trying to triangulate his position.**

**“Now, the true history of Stark name will be written,” continued Vanko.**

**“JARVIS, where is he?”**

**“Accessing the Oracle grid. Eastern Seaboard.” The computer screens showed the triangulation of the call.**

**Vanko wasn’t kidding around. “What your father did to my family over 40 years, I will do to you in 40 minutes.”**

“Not if we have anything to say about it,” muttered Rhodey.

“Would you have believed me if I’d tried to tell you in advance?” asked Tony.

“After everything that had happened recently… no,” admitted Rhodey. “I wouldn’t have believed you.”

**Tony unmuted so he could respond. “Sounds good. Let’s get together and hash it out.”**

**JARVIS was nearly there with the trace. “Tri-State area. Manhattan and outlying boroughs.”**

**Vanko had the last words before he ended the call. “I hope you’re ready.”**

“Did he hear JARVIS trying to trace him?” queried Bucky. “You unmuted the call…”

“I did. I don’t believe he heard JARVIS though,” replied Tony.

**JARVIS hadn’t been able to complete the trace.**

**Tony glanced at his monitor and saw an advert for Justin Hammer’s presentation at the Stark Expo for that evening. ‘In Defence of Peace’ was due to begin shortly on the main stage. Tony looked at the new Arc Reactor and picked it up, removed the one he already had in and placed the new Reactor into his chest.**

Bruce groaned. “The tests haven’t been finished yet!”

“I don’t think he really had much choice if wanted to beat Vanko…” noted Clint.

**“Sir!” JARVIS protested.**

Vision shook his head. “I do not know why I tried to protest so much. Mr. Stark rarely – if ever – listened to me.”

**“You want to run some tests, run them. And assemble the suit while you’re at it. Put it together now!” ordered Tony.**

**“We are unclear as to the effects.” JARVIS attempted again.**

“For Tony, that doesn’t matter,” implied Rhodey. “He just needed to know it works.”

**“I don’t want to hear it, JARVIS.” The Reactor in his chest gained power, brightening up. Tony coughed and the veins on his chest started to disappear. “That tastes like coconut. And metal.” The Reactor glowed brighter obscuring Tony’s face. “Oh wow, yeah!”**

“It healed you just like that?” Sam looked amazed.

“It didn’t heal me exactly…” said Tony, though he struggled to find the right words to explain what had occurred. “It seemed to reverse the damage caused by Palladium. I didn’t suffer any effects. I did feel instantly better…” He trailed off, noticing the looks he was getting from the others. “Ok, it did heal me. It reversed the damage which Palladium had done to me.” 

“It reversed the damage that quickly…” mused Bruce. “I didn’t know this.” He seemed thoughtful. “Tony… have you considered the properties of the new element could be used for research into medical cures? It counteracted the effects caused by Palladium that quickly! Think what else it could do…”

“Believe it or not, I have been thinking of it myself,” Tony admitted. “Just haven’t had a chance to take it any further.”

“If we think about it,” continued Bruce eagerly, “how much could that element heal? Can it reverse molecular damage? Cell damage? Could it prevent radiation damage and poisoning on a large scale? There are many possibilities that need to be explored here.”

“I’ll start working on it as soon as I can,” promised Tony.

He hadn’t considered exploring the new element further but thinking upon it if it could reverse chemical poisoning of Palladium quickly, what else could the element do?

Could it be the answer to everything?

A part of him really hoped it was.

**To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> So, as clarified in this chapter, Thor's people are on their way to Earth... just before Thanos' attack. He and Bruce, when they go back to their own time, will be just before the start of Infinity War. They may be able to change some things but not a lot. It will be the Avengers on Earth who have more time to prepare to change things in the future. 
> 
> Steve doesn't think he gets special treatment... He does. The first Cap film pretty much shows that he does as he never really earned the title of Captain. 
> 
> There will be a lot of discussion on the Accords coming up in the fic where they watch Civil War, and I will be covering both sides. 
> 
> Tony doesn't think he will ever invent time travel. He may very well lose the bet he made with Clint...
> 
> I'm also starting to lay out future plot points for the fic which I will write after they've watched Endgame. The new element Tony creates is a big part of my future plans. Stay tuned for that as it will be mentioned again in the next fic in this series too. 
> 
> The next chapter will be posted next Sunday. 
> 
> Until then, 
> 
> the-writer1988


	8. Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanko begins his attack on the Expo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> This is the second-to-last chapter. Next week will be the last chapter of this story. Cannot believe we are nearly at the end of the second story in this series! I know there are a few people who would like to have more regular updates but I cannot manage it. I can only keep up with updating once a week, 
> 
> I am going to try my best to get ahead of myself in December. More details on the next fic will be published next week with the last chapter.

**Understanding the Real Hero: Iron Man 2**

**Eight**

**At the Stark Expo Natasha opened the door for Pepper to exit the car. Happy said he would keep the car there. As an Announcer said Justin Hammer’s presentation would begin shortly, Natasha and Pepper walked up the steps towards the seating area facing the main stage.**

“Did you have any indication something was going to happen?” asked Sam.

“Not really,” affirmed Natasha. “I was on alert for anything suspicious. It was only when Tony arrived that I realised something else was going on.”

**The audience clapped as Hammer danced on stage towards a podium. Pepper didn’t look impressed.**

“Is he trying to dance?” scoffed Sam.

Tony was struggling to keep a straight face. He had missed Hammer’s little dance routine as he’d been in flight to the Expo.

“That’s not how one dances,” stated Thor. “I’m not big on dancing myself but that isn’t dancing!”

“I think Hammer’s making a fool of oneself,” said Rhodey shaking his head. “At least Pepper doesn’t look impressed.”

**“Yeah. That’s what I’m talking about. Thanks for coming. Ladies and gentlemen, for far too long, this country has had to place its brave men and women in harm’s way, but then the Iron Man arrived, and we thought the days of losing lives were behind us. Sadly, that technology was kept out of reach. That’s not fair. That’s not right. And it’s just too bad.”**

**“Oh, Lord,” sighed Pepper.**

Tony rolled his eyes. “I haven’t kept the technology out of reach of people. I’ve shared what I can without compromising my right as intellectual creator. The Iron Man suits themselves were not meant to be used by others. They were for me. And Rhodey,” he amended hurriedly. “The Arc Reactor technology… yes, I kept it for myself and to expand on the premise of clean energy. It’s my right as creator to do that. It’s the way business works. I own the patent so no one can use it.”

“Would you share it with anyone?” asked Sam.

“At some point, I would. The benefits of Arc Reactor technology outweigh my desire to keep it all to myself. The technology is there for people to use. As of yet no one has successfully created another Arc Reactor,” explained Tony. He saw Clint about to make a comment and pre-empted him. “Vanko doesn’t count as he never told anyone else and he created it to solely use on me. As of yet, no one else in the scientific or engineering community has been able to successfully replicate my work.”

“At some point, Tony will share details of the Arc Reactor more widely, however it is new technology. It is only fair he is given time to explore all aspects of it,” continued Rhodey, supporting his friend.

“ _Stark Industries_ will always profit and own the patent for the Arc Reactor. But the element itself could be utilised for other uses which other companies are working on,” revealed Tony. “I cannot prevent anyone from using the element itself in research or other designs. Not that I would want to. It’s just the Arc Reactor technology itself cannot be used by anyone else. And that isn’t unusual in business.”

**“Regardless, it was an impressive innovation, one that grabbed the headlines the world over. Well, today, my friends, the press is faced with quite a difficult problem. They are about to run out of ink.” There was scattered applause as two people ran onto stage to remove the podium. “Get that out of here. Ladies and gentlemen, today I present to you the new face of the United States military. The Hammer drone!”**

**Drones rose out of the stage in four stages, each representing the Army, Navy Air Force, and Marines as the US Air Force music played in the background. Each drone seemed to be equipped with their own Arc Reactor with a variety of weapons spread between them.**

“So, Hammer’s prototypes only had Arc Reactors because of Vanko?” clarified Steve.

“He did,” confirmed Tony.

**Pepper and Natasha did not look impressed with the reveal.**

Natasha grimaced. “We weren’t. If those drones had been cleared for use… It would have made SHIELD very uneasy. Though drone technology is in use in some aspects, a whole army of drones…”

“I know what you mean,” agreed Rhodey, “replacing soldiers with machines doesn’t work. A whole army could malfunction and you’d lose the area you were trying to defend or gain ground in. So many logistics issues…”

Sam frowned. “So, if this presentation had been successful, Hammer still wouldn’t have been the top dog?”

Rhodey grinned, liking the turn of phrase. “He wouldn’t have been. Hammer thought too far ahead and didn’t think of the problems and logistics going forward. It doesn’t help Hammer’s lack of experience in dealing with A.I or computer systems. He made weapons which were impressive in look and design but their use was not as great as they could have been.”

“Technically, Hammer was trying to do what I hoped to do with my suits,” mused Tony, considering the similarities between the two of them. “The only difference is that I know how to make an A.I which isn’t a danger to the Earth, and know how to make suits which can stand as a last line of defence. Both of these Hammer can’t do himself.” 

**Hammer enthused with the clapping audience. “Yeah! Yeah! Woo! That’s a hell of a lot better than some cheerleaders, let me tell you.”**

“I think I’d rather see the cheerleaders,” sighed Bruce. “And that is saying something. Hammer really is an idiot.”

Tony couldn’t help the slight smile across his face.

**Hammer is being observed by the drones. Vanko is back in his room, typing away at the computer.**

**“But as revolutionary as this technology is, there will always be a need for man to be present in the theatre of war. Ladies and gentlemen, today I am proud to present to you the very first prototype in the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit and its pilot, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes.”**

Rhodey hung his head. “He had great ideas that were executed poorly and the names he came up with… Thank god, War Machine was an infinitely better name.”

“Apart from the time when the US Army wanted to rename War Machine,” teased Tony. “I am Iron Patriot.”

“It tested well in the focus groups,” defended Rhodey.

Tony grinned. “If I recall, that was the exact same thing you said when I stated it before.”

Rhodey shook his head. “It was supposed to reflect the American values… War Machine was too aggressive.”

“In a way, War Machine is better, because it can elicit fear in America’s enemies,” noted Sam. “Aside from Tony, you’d be the first point of call, wouldn’t you? America sees you as a line of defence against any attack.” He briefly glanced at Steve; aware the Captain had a different viewpoint.

Thankfully, Steve didn’t try to interrupt, though his expression showed his true thoughts on the matter.

“Usually War Machine is called first,” explained Rhodey, “unless Tony is needed specifically. A lot of the time I’m not available due to my work with the Air Force. And, since the rest of you are either not on world or on the run, pretty much it's Tony and me who can do anything. And Vision.”

“I am an unknown quantity,” interjected Vision. “My inclusion in any mission is decided upon by either Colonel Rhodes or Mr. Stark.”

Sam nodded, accepting the answer.

**Pepper was shocked. “What?”**

**The stage opens up and a modified Iron Man suit rises up onto the stage, Rhodey in control of it. Various weapons adorn the suit, one with a big gun attached to the back of this suit. Rhodey raised his arm and saluted and all the drones followed suit.**

Tony leaned in close to his friend. “Tell me, how did you feel, standing there in all that bulky armour?”

“Honestly, I was okay about it,” shrugged Rhodey. “A shame the technology added to the armour didn’t work to a satisfactory standard. Would have made things a lot simpler if they had been effective against Vanko.”

“Hammer tech,” noted Tony. “Never reliable.”

**“For America and its allies, Hammer Industries is reporting for…” He trailed off as a rumbling sound in the distance became louder and louder until Iron Man came soaring into the stadium and landed on the stage. The audience rose and cheered.**

**“We got trouble,” revealed Tony to Rhodey.**

**“Tony, there are civilians present. I’m here on orders. Let’s not do this right now.”**

“You didn’t believe he was there for a good enough reason?” Wanda asked, surprised at Rhodey’s reaction to Tony’s arrival.

“To my shame, no I didn’t. The brawl we had at Tony’s birthday party skewered things a bit. I didn’t exactly have confidence in him at that point.”

“Understandable,” reflected Wanda. 

**Tony acknowledged Hammer. “Give them a wave.”**

**Hammer went to distract the audience.**

**Tony spoke to Rhodey quietly. “All these people are in danger. We gotta get them out of here. You gotta trust me for the next five minutes.”**

**Rhodey sniped back. “Yeah, I tried that. I got tossed around your house, remember?”**

Tony wilted. “Still sorry about that.”

“You’re forgiven. Just try to be more open to us… that’s all we ask,” suggested Rhodey.

It was a fair trade. “I can try my best,” Tony reassured his friend.

**Tony sighed. “Listen, I think he’s working with Vanko.”**

**“Vanko’s alive?” Surprise flickered across Rhodey’s face within the suit.**

“That must have made you stop and think that maybe Stark was onto something?” asked Clint.

“Partially,” sighed Rhodey. “But I was distracted by it for Vanko to take complete control of the suit.”

Bruce frowned. “Hold on, how was Vanko able to hack the War Machine suit? He never went near it.”

“But Hammer did,” realised Natasha. “Hammer made all the alterations to the War Machine suit at his facility, correct?”

Rhodey confirmed it with a slight incline of his head. “He did.”

“It’s possible for Vanko to have included an interface he could easily hack,” mused Bruce, considering all the information he had been given. “Vanko could have easily gone to the suit and carried out the work he needed to, especially if he knew where it was being stored.”

“Which is likely what happened,” said Tony quietly.

**Tony approached Hammer. “Where is he?”**

**“What?” Hammer turned to face him.**

**“Where’s Vanko?”**

**Hammer feigned ignorance. “Who?”**

Steve shook his head. “No point in denying it if your foe is insisting.”

“Even if he had been truthful, he wouldn’t have avoided a prison sentence,” explained Tony. “He didn’t exactly hide his involvement with Vanko’s escape from prison well once we got into his systems. All the evidence was there.”

**Pepper watched carefully from the audience.**

**“Tell me,” ordered Tony.**

**Hammer was attempting to save his presentation. “What are you doing here man?”**

Sam rolled his eyes. “Does he really think if he continues to stall you long enough, you’ll just give up?”

“To be fair, Hammer doesn’t know Vanko has double-crossed him,” interjected Rhodey. “He’s about to though. He thought he controlled Vanko.”

**But Rhodey’s exclamations interrupted them as new information scrolled over his interface. The large gun on his back took aim at Tony.**

**“Is that you?” asked Tony, getting into a defensive stance.**

“Yeah, I routinely want to kill my best friend,” drawled Rhodey sarcastically.

Tony shrugged. “I had pissed you off.”

**Vanko was typing away at his keyboard, flipping everything into online mode, taking control of all the drones, including Rhodey’s suit.**

“He’s activating all the drones…” Sam paled.

**“No, I’m not doing that. That’s not me. I can’t move. I’m locked up. I’m locked up!” The Drones took aim, all at Iron Man. “Get out of here. Go! This whole system’s been compromised!”**

“The terror I felt when that happened was awful,” said Rhodey. “I was putting everyone in danger. I couldn’t control my suit; I was just a puppet for Vanko to play with.”

“It’s not like mind control but in a way, it is,” mentioned Clint. “You feel powerless, unable to do anything to stop what you’re doing.”

Rhodey nodded, surprised Clint could sympathise with him.

“Loki,” grated Clint. “He mind-controlled me. I knew what I was doing but couldn’t stop myself. I know what it feels like to be powerless and to hurt your friends… It’s awful.”

**Tony fired his thrusters and shot off into the sky as the drones and Rhodey fired at him. Glass shattered and fell onto the audience below as they fled from the building.**

**Rhodey’s thrusters fired and he followed; with some of the drone army shooting off into the sky with him. Pepper and Natasha evacuated from the seating area.**

**“Jarvis, break-in. I need to own him!” ordered Tony.**

Rhodey peered curiously at Tony. “Own me?”

“Your suit,” rectified Tony. “If I could get control of your suit back, I could get you your freedom. JARVIS could detect the wireless network. It was just trying to get into it.”

“If I recall, Sir, the firewall erected by Vanko caused problems in my ability to return control to Colonel Rhodes,” noted Vision. He glanced at Natasha. “It was only with other help that control was reinstated to its pilot.”

Rhodey glanced at Natasha, aware of her role in the process. “I guess I should say thank you.”

Natasha swallowed. “Just doing my job.” 

**“Yes sir.” JARVIS set to work at once.**

**Rhodey called out to Tony over the internal coms on the suits. “Tony, Tony, I’m locked on. I have target lock.”**

**“On what?”**

Tony shook his head. “Dumb question, Stark.”

“Well… he did point his big gun at you earlier,” stated Bucky.

“In the heat of the moment you forget things,” sighed Tony.

**“On you!” The machine gun mounted on his back started firing rounds as Tony flew through the air dodging out the way. “Tony, on your six!”**

“At least you’re trying to help,” praised Steve. “Shooting a friend out of the sky would be horrible…”

Sam cringed at Steve’s words. He’d dodged out of the way of an attack made by Vision to bring him down resulting in Rhodey’s injuries which had paralysed him. Rhodey could only walk because of the braces Tony had designed for him.

Rhodey glared at the Captain. “You do realise your actions resulted in me being paralysed, don’t you?”

Steve flinched at the accusation. “It wasn’t…”

Rhodey stood from his seat. “If you had come quietly when Tony asked you to at the airport I wouldn’t have been paralysed. That is on _you_.” He sat back down again and refused to meet Steve’s gaze.

**Flying through the air, dodging anyway he could, Tony attempted to keep the drones away from the people fleeing, however he wasn’t always successful, as shots permeated a viewing area, shattering the glass, causing the audience to flee. The remaining drones on stage trumped towards the audience left in the main stage area.**

**Hammer reached the technicians behind the stage. He ran to a computer demanding to know what was going on.**

Natasha shook her head. “How did he not make the connection it was Vanko behind this?”

“I don’t think he wanted to believe his partnership with a Russian had turned sour,” sighed Tony. “Vanko had already demonstrated he could hack systems, it's not much of a stretch to realise your guy on the ground is the one behind this, especially after he made a point of changing the suits to drones.”

“Personally, I don’t think he wanted to believe Vanko had double-crossed him,” said Rhodey.

**The technician said the software had been overridden. Hammer wanted to know what that meant. The technician thought the drones had been slaved. Hammer didn’t believe it and ordered Jack to call the guards. Jack attempted but found the phones were down. Hammer told him to try their cell phones, which were not working either. The technician said they had all been locked out of the mainframe.**

Clint rolled his eyes. “All the evidence points to Vanko and yet he doesn’t believe it!”

“He knows he is in line for a jail sentence if his deception is uncovered,” said Sam. “You can see the panic in his expressions, no matter how he tries to hide it. He knows his career is bust unless he can sort the problem himself.”

“Which he won’t be able to,” added Natasha. “To restore the system I had to manually go into the system myself at Hammer Industries and revert the system back.”

**Pepper arrived with Natasha behind her. “Who’s locked you out of the mainframe?”**

**Hammer attempted to prevent her from investigating further. “Please, please, go away. Go away. I’ve got this handled.”**

**Pepper didn’t believe it. “Have you now?”**

Tony grinned. “It’s so much better when she turns that side of her onto others.”

**“Yes, I do. In fact, if your guy hadn’t shown up, this wouldn’t be happening. So, please, now go away. Thank you.” He leaned down to whisper to the technician. “Listen, we got to get these bitches out of here. What?”**

“Oh… don’t call Nat a bitch,” winced Clint. “She would have heard that.”

Steve frowned. “Is he right though? What if Tony hadn’t have arrived, this wouldn’t have happened?”

Rhodey shook his head. “No. Vanko would have still acted. He wanted to ruin the Expo, destroy Tony’s reputation. Either way, even if Tony was out of the picture, Vanko would have gone in for maximum disturbance. He wanted to go out for a bang. It wasn’t just about Tony; it was about the Stark legacy too.”

**Natasha surged forward and grabbed Hammer and held him down on the desk, hissing vehemently in his ear. “You tell me who’s behind this. Who’s behind this?”**

**“Ivan. Ivan Vanko,” revealed Hammer.**

Clint smirked. “He didn’t even try to make up a name.”

“I was quite harsh in my actions,” grinned Natasha. “In this job, you learn who your easier targets are. Hammer was easy.”

**“Where is he?”**

**“At my facility,” panted Hammer.**

Sam whistled. “Wow, he didn’t even try to hide where he was.”

Bucky recognised why. “I think he knew whatever he did would be hopeless. He was probably going to try to flee.”

“Pepper didn’t let him,” grinned Tony. “Didn’t stop him threatening her though.”

**Natasha let him go and rushed away as Pepper dialled for NYPD. Hammer tried to stop her but failed. She gave the police the location and ended the call, then stepped up to the technicians and told him to tell her everything that they knew.**

“He didn’t try to leave once Pepper took charge?” Sam was surprised.

“No. I think a part of him knew the jig was up. He may have also hoped his influence with the Air Force would save him too,” explained Rhodey. “But once my suit was hacked via Hammer tech, Justin Hammer’s days were over.”

**Tony was still being chased in the air by Rhodey and the Air Force drones, dodging bullets and trying to avoid injuring the crowds of people rushing for safety. JARVIS told him the remote reboot of Rhodey’s suit had been unsuccessful.**

**The drones on the ground began firing into the running crowds, as Vanko watched the chaos unfold from the safety of his room.**

“Coward,” grated Wanda. “If you are going to cause havoc, the least you could do is get involved yourself!”

“Oh, don’t you worry, he does,” said Tony.

“He’s wanted someone to reach the facility so he could leave,” grated Natasha. “We could have caught him if he hadn’t left. He had his own suit waiting in the wings.”

**Security guards were directing the crowds in specific directions as Natasha left the building in a hurry. Happy noticed her and approached her.**

**“Nobody’s answering the phone. What’s going on?”**

**“Get in the car. Take me to Hammer Industries,” ordered Natasha.**

Tony chuckled. “Yeah, Happy isn’t going to like being ordered around by you.”

“He had no choice,” smiled Natasha sweetly. “Happy is good at adapting to the situation if he knows it's serious.”

Tony couldn’t refute that.

**Happy refused. “I’m not taking you anywhere!”**

**A stern expression crossed Natasha’s face. “Fine. You want me to drive?”**

“The only person he lets drive is me,” grinned Tony. “You’ll note he hardly drives me anywhere. Usually it's me the one driving.”

**“No, I’m driving. Get in the car.” They both get in the car with Natasha in the back seat.**

**The army drones lock themselves onto the steps and fire up at Iron Man, hitting some of their own counterparts, sending the Air Force drones crashing to the ground. Vanko continued to control the drones from a distance, inputting new instructions to cause as much damage as possible.**

Sam’s expression turned to anger. “He doesn’t care he’s hurting civilians, does he? Just to get to you…”

Tony shook his head sadly. “No, he doesn’t.”

**One drone spotted a kid with an Iron Man helmet on, standing amongst the fleeing crowd, and approached him, targeting the helmet. The kid held his hand up in the same gesture Iron Man used when he was firing his repulsor blasts.**

“Oh no…” muttered Steve. “Please don’t kill the kid…”

“He won’t,” said Tony. “I made sure of it.”

**The drones gun focused on the kid, but then Iron Man landed beside the kid and shoots the drone himself with his own hand repulsor.**

Steve blew out a sigh of relief.

**“Nice work kid,” said Tony, as he took off.**

Rhodey leaned in close. “You know that kid, don’t you? He was seen earlier in the movie, right at the start.”

“He was,” said Tony.

“Who.. who is he?” asked Steve, curious as to who the kid could be.

“You’ve fought him…” Tony trailed off, hoping the hint was enough.

Steve looked confused for just a moment before his eyes widened. “No! He can’t be!”

“He is.”

Sam glanced between the two. “Who is he?”

“You’ve all fought with or against him…” Tony dropped more clues, wondering who would reach their first.

“The kid… the kid from Brooklyn?” gasped Steve. “Really?”

“Got it in one!” Tony folded his arms across his chest. “That kid there grows up to be Spider-Man. Considering we’ve got a movie named after him to watch, you’ll all find out who he is I’m sure. But I saved his life and I was his hero. I’m also his mentor. He’s quite… brilliant… Reminds me of me a bit when I was young and full of ideals and plans for the future… Most of which never happened… But, still…”

Rhodey lowered his voice. “That’s the Parker kid?”

Tony nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t realise it was him until Peter told me during one of our science sessions. Funny how our paths were linked together even then…” He was proud of his association with Peter, and he intended to keep on mentoring him for years to come. At some point, the kid would become an official Avenger, whether that was months away or a few years from now, the kid was an asset who the Avengers couldn’t afford to lose.

_When I retire, I know there is someone out there who can carry on my legacy,_ thought Tony. _Even if Pepper and I have children of our own, Peter will always be the first to carry on my legacy. I’ve taught him everything I know._

**As Tony flew through the air, Rhodey informed him he had multiple attackers coming in on him. Tony needed to get this away from the Expo and shot off into the sky.**

**Inside the car, Natasha is getting undressed as Happy drives them towards Hammer Industries. She’s instructing him he needed to watch the perimeter whilst she enters the facility and takes down the target. She noticed Happy ogling her, as he lost concentration and a car horn sounded, causing him to regain control of the car. She told him to watch the road.**

“You really need blackout screens in your cars if Happy is going to be easily distracted,” grinned Clint. “Nat is a beautiful lady…”

“I don’t make a habit of undressing in the back of cars,” stated Natasha. “But I needed someone more fitting if I was going to make my way through Hammer’s facility.”

**Tony flies through a parking lot, setting off one car alarm, while the rest of the drones set off the rest as they fly past at speed.**

**Vanko is still typing away inside Hammer Industries, instructing a small pack of the drones on Tony’s tail to peel back towards the Expo.**

“What’s he doing that for?” asked Steve. “If you are his target…”

“Bombs,” revealed Tony. “The drones were bombs waiting to happen. He was setting them up for their final positions.”

**Rhodey informed Tony of the change. Rhodey was closing in on his friend, and the gun at his back slot into place and started to fire continuously at Iron Man, as he dodged out the way. Multiple cars exploded in fire, flying through the air, destroying an entire parking lot of cars. Tony peels back up into the sky as Rhodey and the remaining drones followed.**

“That’s a lot of cars…” winced Sam. “Who paid for them?”

“I did,” said Tony. “They were destroyed because of me so I settled all the claims. It didn’t really dent my fortune. Also, the Courts ordered Hammer’s company to pay for damages too so a part of the money came from him too. It did ruin his company… I did save all the jobs though and folded them into Stark Industries, so no one lost employment.”

“Not many businessmen would save the jobs of other people in a rival company,” said Bruce, “it was nice you did that.”

“A lot of them had experience, and it wasn’t fair they lost their livelihoods because of Hammer’s mistake in freeing Vanko,” continued Tony, justifying why he had saved the jobs of Hammer’s employees. “It was the right thing to do.”

**Happy pulls up at Hammer Industries and they both exit the car. Natasha ordered him to stay in the car, in which he refused. Natasha, again, gave the same order. He wanted to know what she was wearing and he was not going to let her go in there alone. Natasha was now wearing her SHIELD combat overalls but didn’t answer Happy’s query as she was busy trying to unlock the front door to Hammer’s building. She told him if he wanted to help, he should keep the car running. He opened the door and dived into the building before Natasha.**

“He didn’t listen,” Natasha rolled her eyes.

“Happy does have combat experience,” said Tony. “He may not look it but he does have a history with the army. He had an honourable discharge. I had my reasons for taking him on. Though his self-defence skills have reduced over the years.”

**An alert popped on Vanko’s computer signalling a security breach.**

**Two security guards approached Happy and Natasha. She slips past him as Happy punched the guard. The second guard attempted to stop Natasha but she turned and tossed two small discs on the floor which electrocuted the guard, dropping him to the floor.**

“Never face a SHIELD agent unprepared,” stated Clint. “Nat always has a box of tricks up her sleeves to deal with almost any situation.”

“I’m glad you said ‘almost’.” Natasha remembered a situation where she’d had to improvise and hadn’t had anything on her to help her escape. She’d been lucky to survive. She always tried to ensure she thought of every possible scenario for any mission. Being prepared was an essential aspect of being a SHIELD agent or an Avenger.

**Happy continued to brawl with the first security guard as Natasha leapt over an object and kicked another guard down. She rushed ahead, sliding between a man’s legs and punching him in an area he didn’t want to be hit. He remained on the floor as another guard attacked her, swinging her legs around him, twisting and he fell to the floor. Natasha ran off, observed on the security cameras by Vanko.**

“I almost feel sorry for Happy,” said Sam, “He’s still fighting the first guard and Nat is making her way quickly through them.”

Natasha shrugged. “I didn’t have time to waste.”

**At the Expo several of the drones fly into buildings and explode as the crowd continues screaming and running for their lives. Vanko activates the remaining drones which hadn’t attacked yet, sending some into the air to pursue Iron Man and the rest into the crowd.**

“He’s just mercilessly trying to take as many lives as possible,” Steve felt angry by the slaughter. “How many people died?”

“Surprisingly, not many,” answered Tony. “Less then ten people died. There were a few serious injuries but they all made full recoveries.” Tony wanted to comment on how Steve was outraged by civilian’s deaths caused by the bad guys yet when it was Steve who indirectly caused them by going to places, he shouldn’t, he had tried his best. But Tony knew getting into that argument now would be counter-productive so he kept his thoughts to himself.

_Watching Civil War may be enlightening._

In some respects, Tony was looking forward to it, but in others, he wasn’t.

**The technician tells Pepper each drone is communicating in its own unique language. She ordered him to choose one and focus on it. Hammer asked if they had tried Russian, and if they hadn’t, they should.**

“Now he’s trying to be helpful,” drawled Thor. “He does know it won’t work?”

“He does,” answered Bruce, not liking Hammer’s conduct one bit.

**Back at Hammer Industries, Happy is still fighting the same guard, getting punched in the stomach before managing to headbutt the guard with a table. Natasha paced the corridors as an announcement came over the intercom of an intrusion on Grid W. More guards flocked to Natasha’s position.**

**Natasha unclipped something from her belt as two guards approached which exploded in their faces. She launches herself at them, kicking them both onto the floor. Then another two attacked her, one with a baton. She pulled a piece of string from her wrist, wrapping it around her attacker’s neck, pulling him back as she fought another security guard. Both went down.**

**Another guard was just getting up, holding a spray can in his hand. She leapt up onto his back and swung herself around his body, strangling him, bringing him down. Another guard approached her, twisted his wrist and then punched him in the face, bringing him down. Natasha took the pepper spray from the guard’s hand and walked off, spraying another guard in the face with it as she walked intently down the corridor.**

Sam glanced uneasily at Natasha. “Remind me never to get on your bad side… Your scary when you are intent like that.”

“All part of my job,” smiled Natasha sweetly.

**Happy finally got the upper hand in his fight, knocking the guard out underneath the chin. “I got him!” He looked up to see Natasha’s handiwork, with multiple guard’s unconscious on the floor, and one hanging from the ceiling with a rope around his neck.**

Tony chuckled quietly, remembering Happy telling him how he had felt when he’d finally beaten his guy and found Natasha had swiftly moved through the rest. It had made him feel old and not up to the task of being Tony Stark’s bodyguard. Tony had reassured him he was capable of defending Tony, as he’d done it for years before Iron Man had come along.

**Vanko continued to runs programmes on his computer and then left the computer running.**

“Now he’s going to escape because he knows I’m coming,” growled Natasha. “At least he left the computer running so I could at least do some damage control.”

**Tony flies over several pools clustered together. Rhodey and the drones are still following him.**

**“Rhodey, you still locked on?”**

**“Yeah.”**

**Tony kept his eyes focused on the goal ahead. “Drop your socks and grab your Crocs. We’re about to get wet on this ride.”**

**“Wait, wait, wait!” called Rhodey.**

Rhodey hung his head. “I honestly thought he was trying to kill us all.”

“I was trying to thin the crowd so Rhodey would be the only one on my tail,” explained Tony.

**Tony’s interface showed him the large world dome sculpture as he headed towards it, calculating an escape trajectory route for him. He soared through an open gap, put on his thrusters, and soared in the opposite direction. All the drones, save from Rhodey, ploughed right into the wall of the globe, unable to manoeuvre in time. Rhodey bounded out into the sky as explosions rocked the globe structure.**

“You were lucky,” grated Rhodey.

“I knew what I was doing,” defended Tony.

**Natasha kicked open Vanko’s door, holding two guns. Happy is behind her, and the room is empty, save for the hanging bodies of the two dead guards.**

**Flying through the air, Tony communicated with Rhodey. “I’m sorry buddy. Had to thin out the herd. What’s your 20?”**

“It says a lot you at least apologised,” mused Clint.

“I know when to apologise,” glared Tony.

Clint looked like he disagreed with that sentiment but didn’t offer any explanation as to why.

**Rhodey didn’t answer, instead, he flew right into Tony, knocking them both off course and heading into the Oracle biodome, crashing through the glass and landing amongst the water of a miniature lake.**

**Natasha puts her guns on the table and started to type. Happy enquired what she was doing. She said she was rebooting Rhodey’s suit.**

**In the biodome, Rhodey attacks Tony, his suit completely out of his control, holding the Iron Man suit in the water as he fires his guns at close range. Tony reached up and was able to keep pushing the gun to stop it from shooting him.**

“I was hoping I would run out of ammo before I hurt you.” Rhodey had hated being in the suit, unable to control it, knowing any action he took could have killed his best friend.

**Natasha gained access to Rhodey’s suit and shut it down.**

“Thanks for the assist,” smiled Rhodey gratefully.

Natasha accepted it.

**Rhodey’s visor went dark and Tony used his thrusters to fly up and fling Rhodey back into the water.**

**“Reboot complete,” said Natasha as an image of Tony appeared on one of the screens. “You got your best friend back.”**

**“Thank you very much, Agent Romanoff,” said Tony.**

**Natasha smiled. “Well done on the new chest piece. I am reading significant higher output and your vitals all look promising.”**

**“Yes, for the moment, I’m not dying. Thank you,” agreed Tony.**

**Pepper’s image appeared on the second screen in the room. “What do you mean you’re not dying? Did you just say you’re dying?”**

“Did you add her deliberately?” Tony asked. “She wasn’t there before.”

“I may have had something to do with her overhearing our conversation. She didn’t know the truth of what was going on. It was about time she knew,” admitted Natasha. “I probably shouldn’t have gone over your head and included her…”

“No, you shouldn’t.” Tony agreed. “I was going to tell her. It was finding the right moment to. And, you know I am not very good at those.”

**“Is that you? No, I’m not. Not anymore.”**

**Natasha looked confused as the two continued to bicker.**

“I honestly didn’t expect you two to start bickering,” noted Natasha.

“They tend to do it a lot,” pointed out Rhodey, “but they still love one another, no matter how many times they do.”

**“What’s going on?” asked Pepper.**

**“I was going to tell you. I didn’t want to alarm you,” said Tony.**

**“You were gonna tell me? You really were dying?” Pepper’s alarm showed on her face.**

“I’ve learned to tell her things in a timely manner now,” explained Tony. “It’s just taken me a while to realise that.”

**“You didn’t let me,” he reasoned.**

**“Why didn’t you tell me that?” she demanded.**

**“I was gonna make you an omelette and tell you,” Tony explained.**

“Pity you couldn’t make an omelette,” laughed Bucky.

Everyone remembered Tony’s attempt to cook on the plane before his birthday party.

**Having had enough, Natasha interrupted, as she had spotted multiple enemies on the radar heading to Tony’s location. “Hey, hey. Save it for the honeymoon. You got incoming Tony. Looks like the fight’s coming to you.”**

**“Great. Pepper?” asked Tony.**

**Pepper still sounded worried. “Are you okay now?”**

**“I am fine. Don’t be mad. I will formally apologise…” Tony reassured her.**

**However, Pepper interrupted. “I am mad!”**

A few of them laughed.

“You two are made for one another,” pointed out Sam. “The chemistry between you two, even when you are arguing oozes off of you.”

“I honestly felt I was in the middle between those two,” sighed Natasha. “I’m glad you finally did something about your feelings for her.”

**“…when I’m not fending off a Hammeroid attack,” finished Tony.**

**“Fine,” relented Pepper.**

**“We could have been in Venice,” Tony pointed out.**

**Pepper rolled her eyes. “Oh please.”**

“I did suggest Venice on the plane.” Tony leaned back in this chair. “Not that it would have changed anything.”

“The party wouldn’t have happened,” observed Rhodey. “The Army would not have had your suit.”

“You wouldn’t have created the element either,” added Bruce.

Tony had to admit they all had a point. “Ok… maybe things would have been different then.”

Wanda frowned. “But would Vanko still have attacked your Expo to get to you?”

“Come to think of it… He’d either send them to my location or still attack the Expo to draw me out and make a mockery of the Stark legacy,” sighed Tony. “Either way, the best outcome for all of us, was what happened.” His lips twitched. “At least we are on the last hurdle of this movie now.”

Yet their journey was far from over.

**To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> Not sure there is much to say. Action-orientated chapters are always difficult to get meaningful conversations from. But, I think I've tried my best. 
> 
> The boy in Iron Man 2, I believe that has been retconned by Marvel Studios to be Peter Parker though it hasn't been directly mentioned in the movies yet. But, it is the canon I am going with. Peter will not be joining the Avengers for this watch-it series - mainly because I'm sure seeing Tony's death would traumatise him. The rest of the Avengers are grown-ups so could handle the more shocking aspects Infinity War and Endgame will bring them when it comes to those movies. Peter will have a role to play in the fic I plan to write set after they've watched Endgame. 
> 
> The next chapter will be the last one of this story. To be posted next Sunday! 
> 
> Until then,
> 
> the-writer1988


	9. Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers watch the end of Iron Man 2...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are... the end of the second story in this series! 
> 
> Apologies for the later than normal update in the day. It's just after 11pm here in the UK and I only finished this chapter an hour ago. I was struggling with how to write the last scene and end this particular story. I think I did alright. But the story picks up again in the next one! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the final installment to Iron Man 2! Please read the notes at the end as I will detail the next story in the series as well as when I anticipate beginning to post it :)

**Understanding the Real Hero: Iron Man 2**

**Nine**

**Tony tapped Rhodey’s helmet as the system restarted, telling him he needed him to snap out of it as he needed him, as they had incoming. Rhodey’s helmet opened and he told Tony that he could have his suit back. Tony grinned and helped Rhodey up, asking if he was okay.**

**Rhodey apologised to Tony.**

**“Don’t be,” reassured Tony.**

**Rhodey felt he needed to. “No. I should have trusted you more.”**

Sam frowned. “He didn’t really give you a reason to trust him though.” He pointed out the obvious, silently apologising to Tony with his expression.

“I handled the situation badly,” admitted Tony. “I could have done things differently. We know that. I’ve said it multiple times now.” It seemed to be something he had to keep on saying. He was getting frustrated by it.

“I should have thought about our friendship,” explained Rhodey. “But you didn’t help yourself. It was a bad time for all of us.”

**Tony said he was the one who had put Rhodey in this position and to forget it.**

**Rhodey told him it was Tony’s fault, he just wanted to say that he was sorry. That was all Tony wanted to hear. They can begin to plan their attack. Rhodey pointed out they needed to use the high ground, so they had to put their biggest gun up the ridge. Tony then asked him where Rhodey wanted to be. Rhodey believed he was the biggest gun and not Tony.**

“Rhodey has the bigger weaponry on his suit…” observed Thor. “He should be up high.”

“He also has Hammer technology…” pointed out Bruce, remembering the video from the start of the movie where Hammer’s attempts to build his own Iron Man suit had backfired. “And we all know how that could go…”

Tony grinned. That’s why he had fought to be up high but Rhodey had won the argument, not that they’d had the chance to change positions before Vanko and his drones had arrived.

**They bantered a bit before Tony conceded. Rhodey told him not to stay down on the ground as that was the worst place. Tony pointed out Rhodey already had a spot to go to, but Tony didn’t have a place himself. Rhodey explained where they were was the kill box, and it was where someone went to go to die.**

“Perhaps you should get moving…” hinted Wanda, a slight tingle of worry evident in her voice. “You don’t want to be caught in the wrong place.”

“Too late,” winced Sam as they watched the next part unfold.

**They were too late to move to other positions as drones flew into the biodome and landed all around them. Tony and Rhodey’s helmets came down.**

**The drones attacked all at once as Tony and Rhodey defended themselves. Rhodey’s big gun continuously fired at the drones, as well as firing little missiles. Tony used a few weapons before directly attacking the drones, flinging them around the area. A miniature missile targeted him and Tony leaned out the way. He fired six small missiles, two each attached to two separate drones before exploding, taking the drones with it.**

**The drones were getting closer and closer, reducing their space to fight. Tony saw an opportunity and took it.**

**“Rhodey? Get down!” Rhodey ducked. Two red lasers from Tony’s hand gauntlets fired, slicing all the drones in half in one go, as well as a tree.**

Steve looked surprised. “If you have that kind of technology, why don’t you use it more often?”

“Would you have liked me to have cut you in two in Siberia?” stated Tony.

Steve paled. “No.”

“I’m rather glad you didn’t,” swallowed Bucky, speaking up for the first time.

“I didn’t install that weapon on my later suits,” admitted Tony. “It was useful but not needed considering the arsenal I have at my disposal. I couldn’t have used it on either of you in Siberia. Just wanted to see your reaction if I’d implied, I could have used it on you in Siberia.”

Sam shook his head. “We really need to find out the true story of what happened there.” 

“You will,” said Steve.

“We’re going to keep on having hints as to what happened, aren’t we?” asked Bruce. “Can we not just skip to the Civil War one after this?”

Tony would have preferred that but he had the feeling it wouldn’t be possible.

_No,_ the voice explained, _my orders are clear. You have to see what has come before, what is happening now, and what is in the future if any of you are going to prevent what is to come._

“Guess that answers if we can skip any movies or not,” drawled Clint. “Conclusion: we can’t.” 

**“Wow, I think you should lead with that next time,” suggested Rhodey.**

**Tony was apologetic. “Yeah. Sorry boss. I can only use it once. It’s a one-off.”**

“One-off for each suit,” clarified Tony.

“Why can it be only used once?” asked Thor. “Surely a weapon like that should be used often, especially if it turns the tide of battle!”

Tony shrugged. “There was other weaponry I could install in my suits which were not a one-off. It used up space which could be utilised for other weaponry. Plus, I found my other weaponry more effective.”

“Honestly, when Tony told me he was removing it as a feature from his suits, even I was baffled,” stated Rhodey, “but looking at what he’s doing with the suits now mean that the technology for that laser attack is just not viable.” He had seen the new suits Tony was working on and the premise behind them. “Trust me when I say you’ll be stunned when you see how far his tech has advanced.”

“I guess time will tell if you are correct!” finished Thor, accepting the answer both Tony and Rhodey had given him to his query.

**Back at the Expo the police arrive and Pepper points to Hammer. The officer told him he was being placed under arrest. Hammer couldn’t believe it. The police officer grabbed his arms and cuffed him; despite his protests he was trying to help. Hammer glanced at Pepper and laughed.**

**“I get it. I see what you’re doing. You’re trying to pin this on me, huh? That’s good. That’s good. You’re starting to think like a CEO, taking out the competition. I like that. You think you’re making a problem for me?” Hammer’s voice got louder as he was being led away. “I’m gonna make a problem for you. I’m gonna be seeing you again real soon!”**

“Did he forget that he was the one who freed Vanko in the first place?” Sam couldn’t believe the audacity Hammer had to try to make it look like he was an innocent person. “You took yourself out of the equation the moment you had Vanko freed from prison.”

Bruce glared at the screen. “I don’t like how he is threatening Pepper. He didn’t do anything to her did he?”

Tony shook his head. “No. I made sure he couldn’t. When he gets out of prison, he’ll be monitored in case he tries to go after Pepper. He won’t get anywhere near her whilst I am around.” He wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. Not if he could help it. _But what if I’m not around when he gets out?_

It was a worry that didn’t sit well with Tony.

**Pepper walked outside with some of the police officers. She was giving them advice on where she thought they should station themselves when reinforcements arrived. The officer explained they had already shut down the 7 trains in and out of Willets Point already, and Pepper suggested using city buses to ferry people to operating lines. The officer agreed and asked her if she was coming with them. Pepper said no, as she was going to stay until the park was clear.**

“As much as I wish she’d left, I’m glad she stayed, “sighed Tony. It had led to him saving her and then bought them together with their first kiss. Though he had always intended on telling her his feelings, he wondered how quickly he would have done so if he hadn’t rescued Pepper from certain death. “Despite the danger she was in, Pepper always knew what to do.”

“She’s a good leader,” observed Steve. “Knows how to give orders and take control of a situation.”

“Why do you think I made her CEO in the first place?” grinned Tony. He hadn’t been wrong in selecting Pepper as his successor. She was truly dedicated to her role and knew more about how Stark Industries was running as a business than Tony currently did. He’d been too focused on other things.

**Back at Hammer Industries, Natasha detected one more drone incoming and that it looked different, and she notified Tony that the repulsor signature was significantly higher.**

“Guess that’s where Vanko currently is…” noted Clint. “He’s like another Stane. Another suit for you to fight.”

“Come to think of it, he was,” agreed Rhodey. “Though I never fought Stane, I saw the footage and the photos.”

**Tony and Rhodey looked up as a full suit landed and the helmet opened up to reveal Vanko and he said it was good to be back.**

**Rhodey whispered to Tony. “Oh, this ain’t gonna be good.”**

“Why did I state the obvious?” Rhodey shook his head, amused by his past self. “Surely our time would have been better moving out the way before he did something?”

Tony shrugged, not really having an answer for him.

**Vanko flung his arms out and two electrified whips activated, sizzling within the air.**

Clint flinched. “Electrified whips and a drone suit… A lethal combination.”

“It nearly was,” stated Natasha. “Tony and Rhodey got lucky.”

Neither of them could deny that.

**“I got something special for this guy. I’m gonna bust his bunker with the Ex-Wife,” said Rhodey confidently.**

“It’s not going to work is it?” Bucky guessed. “Hammer tech.”

Tony grinned.

**“With the what?” asked Tony.**

“It was a dumb name,” laughed Tony. “Who calls a weapon ‘the Ex-Wife’? It’s not exactly the best name.”

“Has Hammer ever been married?” queried Bruce. “Maybe he had a very volatile Ex-Wife and he based his weapon on her?”

“I don’t think he ever has…” mused Tony. “Not to the best of my knowledge.”

“Hammer was like Tony in some respects,” explained Natasha. “He was a womaniser too… but he wasn’t that popular.”

Tony almost made a comment about being a womaniser but even he recognised he had slept with multiple women before Pepper and that name could be applied to him. Though he did feel a bit of pride that Hammer wasn’t as popular as him.

**Rhodey stepped forward and on his left shoulder a miniature missile launcher rose up, whirling into power, and launched, but the missile bounced of Vanko’s armour and fizzled out in the water.**

**“Hammer tech?” noted Tony.**

**“Yeah,” Rhodey admitted.**

“It was impressive when he demonstrated it… the execution of it was dire…” sighed Rhodey. “I was glad when you agreed to keep my suit upgraded. So was the army. They needed technology that worked… not tech which sounded good and failed to live up to its name.”

“I wasn’t going to leave my best friend without a working suit,” smiled Tony.

**“I got this.” Tony targets various points of Vanko’s armour but his tiny shots made no damage.**

“That’s a surprise…” whispered Wanda. “I would have thought your suit would have damaged it.”

“Vanko had studied the armour… He knew the weak spots,” said Tony. “He knew what he could use to reinforce his own and make my armour weak. That’s why I am always upgrading. I learn from my mistakes and make them work for my next suit. There will never be a perfect Iron Man suit. Each situation I learn, each time I tweak…” He glanced up at the ceiling. “I need to be ready for what is up there.”

“You will be,” encouraged Wanda. “I know you will.”

Tony wasn’t sure he believed her. “We’ll see. Whatever the last two movies are about will be an eyeopener for all of us.” 

**Vanko attacked them with the whips as they both dived to the side in opposite directions. Rhodey pummelled all his firepower into hitting Vanko, however, the whips destroyed his main gun. Tony flew into the air, but Vanko directed the whips in his direction, wrapping around the Iron Man armour and pulling him down, landing with a thud against a rock.**

“He’s counteracting your every move…” gasped Steve. “Nothing is working against him…”

**Rhodey used the distraction to run around and fire multiple shots at Vanko. Vanko blocked them, whilst Tony flew towards him but was knocked out the way.**

**One of Vanko’s whips wrapped around Rhodey’s neck, pulling him closer, then punched the armour, sending Rhodey backwards.**

**Tony bellowed as he attempted to attack from behind, but Vanko dodged. He landed and they both got into a fistfight, with Vanko pulling one of the whips out to slice down Tony’s suit and then wrap it around his neck again, disrupting power to the suit.**

Everyone winced.

“You’re really struggling here,” swallowed Bucky. “He’s got you both where he wants you.”

Tony remembered the feeling of panic spreading through him at this time. He remembered desperately trying to think of a way to stop Vanko. Both their suits had been getting too damaged and they had one shot to stop the threat Vanko posed.

**As Rhodey attempts to fire at Vanko again, he stomps forward and slams his foot onto Rhodey’s chest. Tony manages to yank Vanko back, freeing Rhodey. Striking back, a whip curled around Rhodey’s neck, with them both at Vanko’s mercy, with the electrified whips disrupting both their suits.**

“Shit…” Steve paled.

“Language,” hissed Bucky.

“I honestly cannot see how you two are going to get out of this.” Sam watched the screen with worry in his face. “I know you two are here now, but seeing this…”

Rhodey raised a hand. “I thought we were both toast. Tony was the one who came up with the insane idea.”

**“Rhodes. I got an idea. You want to be a hero?” Tony called.**

**Rhodey couldn’t understand. “What?”**

**“I could really use a sidekick. Put your hand up.” Tony pointed his palm repulsor towards Rhodey**

“Oh…” Bruce’s eyes widened. “You’re doing what you did at the party…”

Tony nodded. “Yeah. Enough power heating his drone suit could make it explosive. Us being too close could have been fatal for us too.”

**Rhodey recognised what Tony was trying to do. “This is your idea?”**

**“Yep.”**

**Rhodey raised his palm, the repulsor powering up. “I’m ready. I’m ready. Go, go, go!”**

“Did you think it would work?” asked Tony, glancing at his friend.

“You wouldn’t have suggested it if you didn’t think it would,” noted Rhodey.

“I was hopeful,” the Inventor admitted.

**“Take it!”**

**Two beams of light connect at the middle, right where Vanko stood, and then exploded, sending them both flying and the glass above them to shatter into pieces.**

“He couldn’t have survived that…” Sam declared. “He was right in the centre.”

**Tony got to his feet and approached Vanko, whose suit was wrecked. Vanko was injured.**

Sam was shocked. “How did he survive?”

“He was dying,” explained Tony. “He’d been fatally injured. The suit protected him but not enough to save his life. Rhodey and I were on the outskirts of it and we had our helmets up, Vanko didn’t have his on either, which contributed to his injuries.”

**“You lose,” he managed. Vanko’s reactor started to flash red, as did all the downed drones across the Stark Expo.**

“They’re bombs… All the drones are bombs…” Steve said, a lump forming in his throat.

“It was his back-up plan,” snarled Tony. “If he couldn’t kill me, the drones would.”

**Rhodey analysed the data. “All these drones are rigged to blow. We gotta get out of here man.”**

**“Pepper?” Tony asked before they both take off, with Tony veering off to the right as Rhodey flew straight up. Tony soared across the sky.**

“She stayed behind, didn’t she?” Clint remembered. “She didn’t leave…”

Tony nodded. “My sensors were telling me she was nearby. I had to get to her.”

**Pepper was standing by one of the downed drones as the Arc Reactor started to beep and flash red. She peered at it curiously as the beeping got faster.**

“Erm… Pepper… why are you still standing there?” shouted Sam, frustrated. “Run! It’s going to explode!”

“Sometimes people are frozen in fear and are unable to act,” explained Bucky. “You know if you don’t move you will die, but at the same time, you can’t bring yourself to move. We’re more attuned to our instincts because of what we do for a living and tend to save ourselves.”

“True.” Sam could understand that.

**Just as the drone exploded, Tony grabbed her and flew off with her. Across the skyline, drones exploded everywhere as Tony flew Pepper to safety. He landed on a roof. Pepper pushed him away as his helmet sparked and came loose. He threw it to the side.**

“She really doesn’t want to be anywhere near you right now does she…” grinned Clint, despite the seriousness of the situation.

“I don’t blame her,” agreed Tony. “I put her through a lot in the time she had been CEO.”

**Pepper freaked out. “Oh my God. I can’t take this anymore.”**

**“You can’t?”**

**“I can’t take this,” shouted Pepper.**

**“Look at me,” Tony told her.**

**Pepper continued to shout out all the stresses of her life. “My body, literally, cannot handle the stress. I never know if you’re gonna kill yourself or wreak the whole company.”**

Tony winced. He felt bad seeing this back and how Pepper had been feeling.

“I think she handled it quite well,” praised Bruce. “Taking over the company, dealing with all the problems you caused… She couldn’t have done anything better.”

**Tony swiped his arm out behind him. “I think I did okay.” Behind him, everything was on fire. A small explosion went off in the distance.**

Natasha pulled a face. “Okay would be the Expo not having explosive drones.”

“True.” Tony had to admit. “Not my fault. I just had to get there when I could and try to stop it. Not being able to trace Vanko hampered me. If I had been able to, I would have. Hopefully stopped him before he could have done anything with the drones.”

“If you had stopped him at the facility, then he probably would have primed them to explode,” considered Rhodey, “taking out the main hall at the Expo and killing hundreds of people in the process. Despite what happened, the way it played out was for the best. There were no fatalities.”

“Apart from Vanko,” added Tony.

“Yeah… he doesn’t count when he’s the one causing the problem,” retorted Rhodey.

**Pepper ran her hands through her hair. “I quit. I’m resigning. That’s it.”**

**Tony stepped forward. “What did you just say? You’re done? That’s surprising. No, it’s not surprising. I get it. You don’t have to make excuses.”**

_She never does,_ thought Tony.

**Pepper stepped closer to him. “I’m… I’m… I’m not making any excuses.”**

**Tony interrupted her. “You actually were just making excuses. But you don’t have to.”**

“I understood where she was coming from. She nearly died. Adrenaline made her feel like that. The shock coming through… I’m surprised she agreed to stay after she calmed down,” said Tony. 

**Pepper shook her head. “No, I wasn’t making an excuse. I’m actually very justified.”**

**Tony took her hand. “Listen. Hey, hey. You deserve better. You’ve taken such good care of me. I’ve been in a tough spot, but you got me through it, so… Right?”**

**“Thank you.” Pepper was relieved.**

“That’s a better apology than before,” pointed out Bruce.

“I’ve got a lot better at them over the years,” shrugged Tony. “For someone who never really apologised, I’ve come a long way.”

Rhodey could back him up on this. “Believe me, when I say this, Tony has come far. He used to say ‘sorry’ but not mean it… but now he’s far more sincere and it means something when he says it.”

Steve lowered his gaze. “Tony has, hasn’t he.” He was recognising how much Tony had changed. He hadn’t really given him the chance, misjudging him on the report Natasha had written and forming his own opinion based on the fact Tony was not like his father.

Tony eyed him warily.

**Tony nodded. “Yeah.”**

**She smiled gently. “Thank you for understanding.**

**“Yeah, yeah. Let’s talk clean-up.”**

**“I’ll handle the transition. It’ll be smooth,” said Pepper.**

“You were just humouring her there, weren’t you?” queried Rhodey.

Tony shrugged. “I knew she needed someone to be understanding. I hadn’t been there before but I wanted to be now.”

**Tony considered other aspects as well. “Okay. What about the press? Because you only had the job for a week. That’s gonna seem…”**

**“Well, with you it’s like dog years,” retorted Pepper.**

**“I know.” Tony was slowly getting closer to her, his eyes focused on her face.**

“Kiss her, already!” Clint rolled his eyes. “The sexual chemistry between you two….”

“It was worse being there and seeing it in person,” grinned Rhodey. “You can’t see me yet but I am on the same roof as them.”

**“I mean, it’s like the Presidency…”**

**Tony pulled Pepper closer and kissed her on the lips, holding her close. She bought one arm up to touch his face, as they kissed a few times before breaking apart. A gentle smile was on Pepper’s face.**

“It’s about time,” grinned Sam, feeling happy for them. “How long had she worked for you?”

“Over a decade,” admitted Tony. “Our feelings grew over time. It was the best way for us… We knew each other well enough that we could jump straight into it once we’d finally kissed.”

**“Weird,” considered Tony.**

**“No, it’s not weird,” whispered Pepper.**

“No, it was weird,” said Rhodey, keeping a straight face. “But a relief to be fair.”

**“It’s okay, right?”**

**“Yeah.”**

**“Run that by me again.” They started to kiss again before a voice interrupts them.**

**“I think it was weird.” Rhodey is on the same rooftop, and they break apart from their kiss. “You guys look like two seals fighting over a grape.”**

“You had to interrupt them…” sighed Sam. “Should have just let them kiss.”

“I was right there…” pointed out Rhodey. “Didn’t want to be stuck on that roof watching them kiss.”

Clint leaned forward. “You could have recorded this and had it broadcasted…”

“Why would I do that?” Rhodey couldn’t fathom Clint’s logic.

“Well, their relationship is all over the media anyway. Well, it was. Haven’t seen much of it lately,” mused Clint.

“We’re trying to keep things quiet,” mentioned Tony. “As much as you seem to think we like to broadcast our relationship… we don’t really want to. Unfortunately, there is a certain interest in me that I have to play to. The only way Pepper and I can have any sort of privacy is if we give the media what they want, enough to placate them.”

Rhodey leaned in close. “But you’re still planning on a quiet wedding, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, just will sell some of the photos… Gives the media what they want and allows us to keep it quiet and private like we want,” explained Tony. “One time I would have thrown a big party and invited the media en-mass. But… it isn’t the right thing to do. It’s meant to be a day for Pepper and I… and for the people who know us.”

“I look forward to it,” smiled Rhodey. 

**Pepper tried to justify why they had been arguing. “I had just quit, actually.”**

**Tony tried to add further but Rhodey interrupted him.**

**“You don’t have to do that. I heard the whole thing.”**

**Tony pointed at him. “You should get lost.”**

**“I was here first. Get a roof,” stated Rhodey.**

Sam chuckled. “Your banter… your friendship… I never understood how you two were best friends… but now I know.”

**Tony laughed. “I thought you were out of one-liners.”**

**“That’s the last one,” confirmed Rhodey.**

**“You kicked ass back there, by the way,” Tony said.**

Rhodey muttered underneath his breath. “Would have been better if I hadn’t had Hammer tech though…”

“I am aware Mr. Stark upgraded your suit quite quickly,” stated Vision. “He had to strip it down.”

“He did. I’m not sure if the suite I have is the original one…” mused Rhodey, glancing at Tony.

“It’s a whole new suit. Hammer butchered it,” grinned Tony. “Had to start again.”

Rhodey laughed. “Don’t blame you. I would have done too.”

**Rhodey stood from where he was perched. “Thank you. You too. Listen, my car got taken out in the explosion, so I’m gonna have to hang on to your suit for a minute, okay?”**

**“Not okay. Not okay with that,” joked Tony.**

**“It wasn’t a question.” Rhodey’s thrusters fired and he shot up into the sky.**

**Tony turned to Pepper, holding her hands. “How are you gonna resign if I don’t accept?”**

**Pepper laughed.**

“Would you have made her stay in a position she didn’t want?” asked Steve.

“No. I was joking. If Pepper really didn’t want to remain CEO, I’d let her leave. But, after we got together, we ironed things out and she decided to stay. She knew as a couple we could work together, and I’d support her. That was what hampered her in those first few weeks. The fact I wasn’t helping her…” Tony shook his head. They’d worked things out in the end. 

**The scene changed. Tony sat inside a building at a table. The SHIELD logo was visible. On the table was a file which said ‘ _AVENGERS INITIATIVE PREMLIMIARY REPORT’._ He was about to open it when Fury’s hand stopped him and took the report from it. **

**“I don’t think I want you looking at that. I’m not sure it pertains to you anymore.” He held up a second file that had been on the desk. “Now this, on the other hand, is Agent Romanoff’s assessment of you. Read it.” He handed it to Tony.**

Tony glanced at Natasha. She winced, knowing that the next few minutes may be uncomfortable for her.

**Tony started to read. “Personality overview. ‘Mr Stark displays compulsive behaviour’.” He looked at Fury. “In my own defence, that was last week. ‘Prone to self-destructive tendencies.” He glanced at Fury again. “I was dying. I mean, please. Aren’t we all? ‘Textbook narcissism’?” Fury didn’t even flinch. “Agreed. Okay, here it is. ‘Recruitment assessment for Avenger Initiative. Iron Man? Yes.’ I gotta think about it.”**

**Fury instructed him to read on.**

**“‘Tony Stark not… Not recommended?’ That doesn’t make any sense. How can you approve me but not approve me?” Tony was astonished. “I got a new ticker. I’m trying to do right by Pepper. I’m in a stable-ish relationship.”**

Rhodey glared at Natasha. “You didn’t focus on any positive aspects he presented to you. It was all negative.”

“I was going by what I had seen,” stated Natasha, attempting to defend her position. “I was tasked to assess him for suitability into the Avenger’s Initiative. In my estimations – at the time – he wasn’t suitable.”

“You do realise you were assessing him at the worst possible time, don’t you?” stated Rhodey angrily. “He wasn’t himself and you knew that!” He got to his feet. “You read her report, didn’t you?” Rhodey glared at Steve.

“Yes…”

“And you believed it?” Rhodey wasn’t having any of it.

Steve lowered his head, accepting that he had.

Rhodey tutted. “No wonder. Unbelievable. Pretty much, the report you wrote, was wrong. It may have been right at the time but you should have based your report on what he was like when he was healthy not dying from Palladium poisoning!”

“I shouldn’t have written the report the way I did,” admitted Natasha. “But would it have changed anything if I had recommended Tony Stark?”

“I would have worked with SHIELD,” said Tony. “Perhaps even met Captain Rogers after he was defrosted instead of waiting until we were in the middle of a crisis. I was excluded because of your report. There were mitigating circumstances as to why I acted the way I had. Things may have been different if I had been recommended.”

“Maybe,” she admitted, “but there is no point in thinking about what could have been. I wrote what I had to at the time. Maybe I should have recommended another evaluation. But would you have let us?”

“No,” answered Tony. “Not after seeing that report.”

“What if you hadn’t seen it?” she clarified.

Tony shrugged. “Depends on how I felt and whether I wanted to work with SHIELD. Hint: I would have been happy to work with them. But being a consultant? Yet, when they needed me in the field, they called me in, despite me not being Avenger material. Iron Man and Tony Stark are the same person. You either have Iron Man and Tony Stark or you have neither.”

“But you did work for SHIELD as a consultant,” observed Steve. “You helped with the new SHIELD helicarriers.”

“I did, but that was in my capacity as a consultant, to advise them on the best technology going forward. I wasn’t an Avenger. Not officially anyway.” Tony shook his head. “Rhodey, sit down. The damage was done by that report years ago. It’s not going to change anything, even if Romanoff apologises. They may have a slight difference of opinion of me now, but it won’t change what they think of me on a continual basis. They think they know me, but they don’t.”

“We never said –” began Steve.

Tony shot him a glare. “Helicarrier. Remember?” He was referring to his and Steve’s argument where they had both insulted each other.

Steve bit his lip, staying silent.

“I understand you more than I did,” said Wanda quietly. “I never thought I would.”

Tony smiled gratefully at her. “You surprised me but I’m glad you did.”

**Fury gets up from his chair and walks round to Tony’s side of the table and rests against it. “Which leads us to believe at this juncture we’d only like to use you as a consultant.”**

**He looks a bit stunned. Tony stands and offers Fury his hand, and they shake. Tony clasped his other hand on top of Fury’s. “You can’t afford me.” Tony started to leave but turned around again. “Then again, I will waive my customary retainer in exchange for a small favour. Rhodey and I are being honoured in Washington and we need a presenter.”**

**“I’ll see what I can do,” promised Fury.**

Rhodey stared slack mouthed at Tony. “That was Fury?”

“Yep.”

“What was?” asked Bruce curiously.

“You’ll see…” teased Tony.

**The scene changed to Washington. ACDC’s Highway To Hell starts to play. Senator Stern stands at a podium, presenting the awards to Tony and Rhodey. Rhodey wore his Air Force uniform and Tony is wearing a smart suit with darkened sunglasses.**

Sam snorted. “You had Senator Stern present you your medals. Was that who you wanted?”

Tony nodded. “It was. Fury knew who I meant when I asked him. I knew how much it would rankle him to have to award me a medal and look happy about doing it.” _Didn’t stop him from trying to hurt me though with the pin._

**“It is my honour to be here today to present these distinguished awards to Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes and Mr Tony Stark, who is, of course, a national treasure.”**

“I want to know how much Fury paid Stern to say that,” grinned Clint.

“He didn’t,” confirmed Natasha. “He bribed him not with money. Stern had a lot of dirt hidden away that could have ruined his career. Fury simply told him he wouldn’t have any issue with leaking that information if he didn’t do exactly what he said. It was determined by the higher-ups at SHIELD that Stern should be allowed to stay in power which is why they didn’t act on any of the information prior to this…”

Steve knew why. The head of SHIELD had been HYDRA. They hadn’t wanted to lose one of their staunchest supporters. 

**Tony and Rhodey share a knowing glance.**

**Stern pinned the medal on Rhodey’s lapel. “Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel, for such an exceptionally distinguished performance. You deserve this.”**

“He didn’t have much of a problem with acknowledging my contribution,” grinned Rhodey.

“He never hated you like he hated me,” nudged Tony. “He respected you.”

**“Thank you, sir,” acknowledged Rhodey.**

**Stern picked up the last medal. “Mr. Stark. Thank you for such an exceptionally distinguished performance. You deserve this.”**

**Tony winced in pain as Stern pinned the medal to his jacket.**

**“Oh, sorry. Funny how annoying a little prick can be, isn’t it?” Stern said, enjoying Tony’s discomfort. “Let’s get a photo.”**

“Not sure –” started Tony.

“Don’t say it!” Rhodey interrupted him. “I know where you are going with this.”

Tony tried his best to look innocent. “I promise –”

“No.” Rhodey was very stern about it.

**Stern stood in the middle of the two, as a photographer came forward. Tony raised his right arm up in the peace-sign and smiled to the crowd.**

**The screen went black as the movie ended.**

“Is there anything else to come?” Sam said.

They waited but the screen remained black.

“I would hazard a guess the movie is indeed over, Mr, Wilson,” advised Vision.

“Another one down…” Sam moved forward and removed the disc from the drive.

Tony wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear their thoughts or not. He needed a drink. “I’ll be back.”

\- - - - -

Rhodey watched his friend leave. A part of him wanted to follow but he knew Tony would need time alone after each movie had finished.

The others were quietly conversing with one another, apart from Steve who sat alone and looked thoughtful.

Taking the plunge, Rhodey decided to go and talk to him. “You okay?”

Steve glanced up. “I’m surprised you want to talk to me.”

Rhodey shrugged. “We’re in this for the long haul. It feels like you are regretting things you’ve said.”

“A bit, yeah,” Steve’s shoulders slumped. “I made baseless accusations about Tony without knowing him better. Nat’s report didn’t help… Yet, what I’m seeing is not what I expected. Tony is… better than I thought he would be. He’s made mistakes, plenty of them…”

“But…” urged Rhodey, wanting to know more.

“So have we all… I’m dreading watching about the Accords. Who knows how the movie will present it?”

“Your name is the most prominent on the cover, if anything it will be more positive for you than for Tony,” pointed out Rhodey.

Steve wasn’t so sure on that. “These movies are doing a good job at shedding the light on Tony as a person. I’m not sure if he will ever forgive me for what I did…”

Rhodey folded his arms across his chest. “If this is about your best buddy murdering his parents…”

Steve winced. “Most of the others don’t know yet. I shouldn’t have kept it from him… but I did.”

“What’s bad about it, Steve, is that you asked Tony for help in funding the search for Bucky after SHIELD fell, but you didn’t have the decency to tell him his parents had been murdered. That’s what hurt Tony the most. The fact you knew and kept it from him,” stated Rhodey, keeping his voice low enough so that the others wouldn’t overhear. “He’s not mad at Bucky, not anymore. It’s you. And I don’t think you will ever be able to fix that.”

“I screwed up.” Steve wilted.

“You did. Big-time,” reiterated Rhodey. “You judged him based on little information and then proceeded to use his money for your own ends without thinking of how Tony may feel. I’m not sure if Tony will ever be able to trust you again.”

Hurt crossed Steve’s face. “Even if he doesn’t trust me again… I trust him.” It was a hard thing for him to admit but it was the truth.

“Are you sure about that?” Rhodey eyed him carefully, unsure of Steve’s sincerity.

“I am.”

“Then show him. Don’t belittle him. Consider every action he takes before making a sweeping judgement,” advised Rhodey. “There is always a reason for the things he does.”

Steve nodded. “Wise words.”

“I’ve known Tony a long time.” Rhodey stood up. “I’m going to go and check on him. Make sure he is alright. We’ll be back for the start of the next movie.”

\- - - - -

Steve watched Rhodey leave through the door Tony had left by just minutes before. He sat there quietly, his thoughts mingling together.

_I was wrong about Tony. I need to stop comparing him to his father and start to see him for who he is. If Wanda can make peace with Tony, maybe I can too?_

A part of Steve knew that it might not be as easy.

But he was determined to keep on trying.

**To be continued in…**

**Understanding the Real Hero: The Avengers**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think! 
> 
> Well, that is the end! I find it quite difficult to have meaningful conversations when it's action-orientated scenes. So, those types of scenes in the future may have less character interaction. 
> 
> On the question of Peter Parker not seeing the movies. I think what I said in my previous notes for the last chapter may have been taken the wrong way. Peter is capable of watching the movies... but would Tony want him there? Considering how Peter reacted to Tony's death in Endgame and Far From Home, forcing him to see it on-screen is cruel. Peter would do everything in his power to make sure Tony doesn't die, even at the cost of his own life - something which Tony would absolutely hate himself, and that is one of the primary reasons Peter wasn't included - to spare Tony the pain of seeing Peter desperately trying to save his mentor at the cost of his own life. It's not fair on Peter or Tony to have that burden on their chests. It's not up to Peter to try to stop Tony's death either. There is a proper explanation coming up in-fic after they've watched Endgame where it is explained why certain people were included and left out in the viewings. There are specific reasons why Peter, Scott Lang, and T'Challa were left out. 
> 
> The next story in the series will be The Avengers! 
> 
> I am now intending on taking about a six-week break from posting. I need to recharge and spend a bit of time building a back-log of chapters. I'm also due back to work on Thursday after having a month off due to the lockdown in the UK, so my time will again be limited as I'm sure I will be tired after work. I don't want to be in a position where I am struggling to finish chapters each week, which is what I've been doing with this fic, so taking a break is essential for me to maintain a good posting schedule and then, hopefully, not take any more breaks after each story is finished as I should have a backlog ready to go. I meant to do this between finished Iron Man and starting Iron Man 2, but as you all know, my cat died unexpectedly and it really rocked me. I just couldn't get myself together after it. I'm better now - still miss her - but I'm in a much better place mentally now, where taking the break will be good for me and enabling me to build up chapters. 
> 
> At the moment, the date I intend to start posting the next story in the series will be **Sunday 10th January 2021**. 
> 
> I know it is next year but it will come quickly! 
> 
> As always, when the next story begins, I will reply to all the reviews for this chapter. Please bookmark the series or subscribe and you will be notified when the next story is posted. 
> 
> Thank you for all the support for this series so far, and I hope you join me for the next story in the series in January 2021. 
> 
> I hope you all have a good Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone! 
> 
> Until next time, 
> 
> the-writer1988


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